Ukraine war: Germany NATO spending, Wagner mercenary group bombed, Griner appeal
Ukrainian artillery hit the headquarters of Russia's infamous Wagner Group of mercenaries in eastern Ukraine, say reports.
The attack happened in the Russian-occupied town of Popasna at a base used by Wagner's paid soldiers to stage their operations in Ukraine.
Details remain sketchy and there is no indication of casualties, though it has been reported that the military site was struck by US-supplied HIMARS missiles.
Serhiy Haidai, the head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, said in a Facebook post: "The Armed Forces of Ukraine again successfully struck the enemy's headquarters. This time in Popasna, where a base of PMC Wagner was destroyed."
British military intelligence says 1,000 mercenaries from the Wagner Group have been deployed in Ukraine.
Over the past eight years, the troops for hire have been accused of human rights abuses and war crimes in Ukraine, Syria and countries in Africa.
They were first deployed in Crimea in 2014, which Kremlin-backed forces seized from Ukraine in what some consider the beginning of the country's war with Russia.
Wagner mercenaries have played an active role in the fighting in Donbas, often deployed as infantry to advance on towns from which Ukrainian forces have withdrawn.
The shadowy group, which was reportedly started by a Russian army veteran of the Chechen wars, is linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, known as Putin's chef because he rose from being a caterer for the Kremlin.
Russia denies any connection to the Wagner group.
An economic think tank warned on Monday that Germany will fall short of its defence spending target.
Europe's largest economy faces an almost €18 billion shortfall in defence spending next year despite a recent boost spurred on by the Ukraine war,
Read more on euronews.com
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