Zelensky: Wagner lost about 100,000 soldiers killed and wounded in eastern Ukraine

"Only in the east of Ukraine, our troops eliminated 21,000 [Russian mercenaries] and wounded 80,000 more. That is, about 100,000 Wagner fighters were killed or wounded by our troops in the east. These were colossal losses for the Wagner... Now everyone can see: we destroyed the real fist of the Wagner fighters in the east of Ukraine," President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky told Spanish journalists in an interview, Ukrinform reports.

He emphasized that they were the most motivated members of the Russian army.

According to the President, this information should also be considered in the context of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

"Killing such a powerful force and so many mercenaries in the east is also a counteroffensive. This is a serious springboard for our troops to move forward. ... When someone says: Ukrainian troops started [their counteroffensive] on the 1st, 4th, 10th – we started earlier, we did a lot of things," Zelensky noted.

At the same time, he emphasized that the so-called strength of the Wagner Group, whose soldiers in the east of Ukraine did not return after unsuccessful attacks, is explained by the fact that they had a chance to survive by surrendering to Ukraine.

"They were moving forward in the first group and they knew they couldn't stop. We saw this phenomenon, the intelligence showed drone footage. Even when they were moving in a line forward and we attacked them, most of them died. Those who stayed did not turn back. They kept going forward. Why? Because if they went forward, towards us, they knew they might get captured, they might be wounded. But if they are captured, they have a chance to survive. They had no chance to go back, having not completed the task set. When returning back to their forces, the Wagner fighters were killed by the military. That is why they were said to be very powerful. It is such a living fence, all the other mobilized forces of Russia are unmotivated, they are weaker. And these fighters have nothing to lose," Zelensky said.

As the President noted, PMC Wagner recruited many of its fighters in penal facilities and most of them had no choice.

"They could not refuse when they were taken from prison. And it's all a delusion when someone says that they had a choice. They also had no choice later, on the battlefield," Zelensky emphasized.

According to him, PMC Wagner consists of two groups: professional military and those mobilized who were used as cannon fodder.

As reported, the U.S. Department of Defense has information that part of the Wagner mercenaries are still in the territory of Ukraine occupied by Russia.