Wagner

"We successfully occupied a hill, an elevation that was strategically important for that area. From that place, you can see the surroundings and all the access roads north of Bakhmut. We can see that those access roads can no longer be passed as the enemy would like," a member of "Wagner" group that performs a series of tasks in that direction told Sputnik.

The United States on Jan. 20 designated Russia's Wagner group as a "transnational criminal organization," piling pressure on the private Russian army fighting in Ukraine.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has called on the private military company Wagner to stop recruiting fighters to fight in Ukraine.

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Soledar in eastern Ukraine is now under Russian control

"Ukrainian offensive operations continue to place pressure on Russian forces both in the north-east and in the Kherson region in the south. However, Russia continues to give high priority to its own offensive operations in the central Donbas sector, especially near the town of Bakhmut", the report specifies.

Between 10,000 and 20,000 mercenaries from the private military company Wagner, Syrian and Libyan fighters are fighting on Russia's side in Ukraine, a European official was quoted as saying by AFP and BTA.

Brussels – Defence Minister Matej Tonin said on Thursday that Slovenian soldiers remain in Mali for now and continue training Mali troops. The statement comes after France announced its troops would withdraw from this African country, where Slovenia currently has nine soldiers in the EU Training Mission (EUTM).

The situation in Afghanistan constituted the main topic of discussions during the informal meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of EU member-states, where Romania was represented by Minister Bogdan Aurescu, meeting that took place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Είναι η πρώτη προσφυγή που κατατίθεται εναντίον των μισθοφόρων της ομάδας Wagner

Turkey cannot stay silent against "mercenaries" like the Russian-backed Wagner that work for Tobruk-based General Khalifa Haftar forces in Libya, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said.