The notorious Russian mercenary organisation Wagner has claimed that it has killed an American special forces veteran who was fighting for Ukraine.
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The Wagner organisation named the soldier as former Green Beret Nicholas Meimer and said that he was killed in the embattled eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
Images purporting to show the corpse of the American special forces veteran as well as his ID cards naming him as Nicholas Dwain Meimer of Boise, Idaho, were shared online by Wagner, with the Russian mercenary organisation saying on Tuesday, 16th May: “The liquidated American mercenary Nicholas Meimer was a veteran of the US special forces, a sapper by profession.
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“Meimer fought on the side of the Ukrainian formations for more than a year.
“At first he was part of the Mozart PMC, then left the company and joined the territorial defence, in which he trained Ukrainian militants.
“Wagner attack aircraft destroyed an Idaho resident and a former Green Beret while advancing in the Nest fortified area.
“Kyiv throws at the containment of the ‘Orchestra’ not only the defence and mobilized, but also MTR fighters and foreign mercenaries.”
In an earlier statement this morning, Wagner had said: “Yevgeny Prigozhin visited the advanced positions of the Wagner PMC and the liberated buildings of the Nest.
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“Now the enemy is retreating to the next fortified area along Yubileinaya Street – to ‘Domino’, in the ‘Nest’ there is simply nowhere to fasten.
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“During the battles for the western high-rise buildings, the American veteran Nicholas Meimer was liquidated, whose body will be handed over to the Ukrainian side to be sent home.
“At the moment, up to 1.59 square kilometres remain under the control of the enemy. ‘Wagner’ clears two pieces of the city – along Yubileinaya Street and the so-called. ‘Tetris’ between Tchaikovsky and Korsunovsky streets.”
We have not been able to independently verify the claims or the images.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 447th day of the full-scale war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 16th May 2023, Russia had lost about 199,980 personnel, 3,762 tanks, 7,348 armoured combat vehicles, 3,150 artillery units, 562 multiple launch rocket systems, 316 air defence systems, 308 warplanes, 294 helicopters, 2,732 drones, 973 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 6,048 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 410 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that the United Kingdom will provide Ukraine with hundreds of air defence missiles and new long-range attack drones over the next few months.
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The British Prime Minister made the announcement during a visit by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky to the UK.
Zelensky has said that he is “very positive” about forming a “jets coalition” so that Ukraine can be supplied with Western fighter jets.
Sunak said that Britain is set to open a flight school to train Ukrainian pilots, with France now also offering to train Ukrainian airmen.
The US has said that Russia and Iran appear to be expanding their defence partnership in a move that is set to help Russian President Vladimir Putin continue his war in Ukraine.
Ukraine has reportedly begun to push back Russian forces from the embattled city of Bakhmut in a move that is being hailed as the first substantial battlefield advance in six months.
The Commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, said: “The advance of our troops along the Bakhmut direction is the first success of offensive actions in the defence of Bakhmut.”
The Russian Ministry of Defence has said that its top army general, Oleg Salyukov, has discussed “military cooperation” with his South African opposite number Lawrence Mbatha at a meeting in Moscow.
The announcement was made hours after South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa denied accusations from the US that his country was siding with Russia and had provided Putin with weapons.