The US estimates that more than 30000 mercenaries have been

The US estimates that more than 30,000 mercenaries have been killed in Ukraine

Summary of the news

  • The US estimates that more than 30,000 mercenaries have died in Ukraine.
  • The only casualties would be the Wagner paramilitary group, which has broad support from Moscow.
  • About 30% of the deaths occurred from December to date.

Young people report to the headquarters of the Wagner paramilitary group Igor Russak/Portal 11/04/2022

The White House said on Friday (17th) that the United States estimates that more than 30,000 mercenaries from the Russianbacked Wagner Group have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told a news conference that there had been around 9,000 of these casualties since midDecember last year as fighting intensified in Bakhmut in Donbass region (eastern Ukraine).

“They use their recruits, most of them convicts, as cannon fodder, they literally throw them through a meat grinder,” he explained.

Kirby added that it is believed by US intelligence that 90% of Wagner’s victims in December were convicts drafted into the organization.

The US has imposed sanctions on this Russian mercenary group for its involvement in the war in Ukraine, labeling it a “transnational criminal organization,” giving it the ability to continue to economically sanction both the organization and its allies around the world.

Last January, the US estimated the group would have about 50,000 troops in Ukraine, including 10,000 contract workers and 40,000 exconvicts, and asserted that Wagner was recruiting guerrillas in Russian prisons.

Meet the Leopard 2, Ukraine’s most coveted tank

A heavy tank that Ukraine has been asking Germany and the Western powers for months, the Leopard 2 is a worldrenowned asset that is likely to have a “significant” impact on the battlefield. At the moment there is no decision on the delivery of this type of tank to Ukraine, said new German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius this Friday (20th) at the American base in Ramstein in western Germany, where he is meeting. with other Kiev allies

Patrik Stolarz/AFP 13.10.2017

The Leopard 2 combines firepower, mobility and protection. Designed by the German manufacturer KraussMaffei, it has been in mass production since the late 1970s to replace the North American M48 Patton tanks and later the Leopard 1. To date, 3,500 copies have left the production chains

Patrik Stolarz/AFP 20.05.2019

This 60ton main battle tank is armed with a 120mm gun. It is capable of firing while driving and the 1,500 hp engine allows a top speed of 70 km/h with a range of 450 km. According to the manufacturer, it also has “integrated passive protection” effective against mines and rocket launchers. In addition, it has technological tools that allow it to locate and attack the enemy from long distances.

Patrik Stolarz/AFP 13.10.2017

Another advantage is that the Leopard is widely distributed in Europe, which makes it easier to access ammunition and spare parts, and simplifies maintenance work. The last four models are still in service, including the 2A4, of which Poland is proposing to deliver 14 examples to Kiev. In addition, there is the 2A7, which Berlin does not want to make available for its own defense.

Patrik Stolarz/AFP 13.10.2017

Finland, equipped with more than 200 copies, is also ready to deliver some of them to Kiev, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). According to the German press, other European countries, which were not named, would also be willing to take part in these efforts. Greece, with 350 tanks, and Turkey, which used some of them against Kurdish forces in northern Syria, are the countries with the most examples of the 2A4 model.

Patrik Stolarz/AFP 20.05.2019

If Kiev could receive a total of 100 Leopard tanks, the effect on the battlefield against Russian forces would be “significant”, the IISS guarantees. With the Leopard 2, “an army can break through enemy lines and put an end to a long trench warfare,” Armin Papperger confirms to Bild. “Leopard allows soldiers to advance tens of kilometers at a time”

Ronny Hartmann/AFP 17.10.2022