Wagner chief claims US Special Forces vet has died in Bakhmut

‘We will put him in a coffin and cover him with the American flag’: Wagner chief Prigozhin claims US Special Forces vet has died fighting for Ukraine in city of Bakhmut as warlord is seen inspecting a body in new video

• Yevgeny Prigozhin posed with what he claimed is body of American veteran
• The Wagner chief claimed he had the man’s US identification documents 

The chief of the Russian Wagner mercenary group has claimed a US citizen has been killed while fighting for Ukraine in the embattled city of Bakhmut.

Yevgeny Prigozhin posed with what he claimed is the body of the American Special Forces veteran in a video posted on Telegram.

The footage, filmed at night, appears to show Prigozhin then inspecting what he claims to be the soldier’s US identification documents amid the sound of apparent heavy artillery fire.

Prigozhin says in the video: ‘So we will hand him over to the United States of America, we’ll put him in a coffin, cover him with the American flag with respect because he did not die in his bed as a grandpa but he died at war and most likely a worthy [death], right?’

In the video, a Wagner mercenary claims the soldier was returning fire when he died. Prigozhin replies: ‘He was shooting back, he died in the battle, so we will hand over his documents tomorrow morning and pack everything, right?’ 

The chief of the Russian Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin (pictured on Friday in a separate video), has claimed a US citizen has been killed while fighting for Ukraine in the embattled city of Bakhmut

Ukrainian soldiers fire a cannon near Bakhmut, an eastern city where fierce battles against Russian forces have been taking place, in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Friday

Ukrainian soldiers fire a cannon near Bakhmut, an eastern city where fierce battles against Russian forces have been taking place, in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Monday

DailyMail.com cannot verify the authenticity of the documents or the nationality of the body shown in the video. Prigozhin often posts fake videos for propaganda purposes. 

A spokesperson for the State Department told DailyMail.com they are aware of the reports about the death of an American in Bakhmut but are unable to verify the reports due fierce fighting there. 

READ MORE: Wagner chief dismisses ‘laughable’ Washington Post story that he offered to provide Ukraine with Russian troop positions 

The spokesperson added that US citizens should not travel to Ukraine as Russian forces are singling out Americans in Ukraine. 

Prigozhin has become ever more scathing in his criticism of the Russian defence ministry and on Friday accused the Russian army of ‘fleeing’ rather than regrouping around Bakhmut.  

A report in the Washington Post on Sunday said Prigozhin had maintained contact with Ukrainian intelligence throughout the war and had even in January offered to give Kyiv information on Russian troop positions if Ukraine’s commanders withdrew their soldiers from the area around Bakhmut.

Some commentators are now arguing he had crossed a line and risks antagonising Russian President Vladimir Putin but Prigozhin has dismissed the allegations as ‘laughable’.

It comes as fighting in and around Bakhmut is ramping up, with Ukrainian deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar saying today that Kyiv’s troops have pushed Russian forces from chunks of territory around the embattled city.

She said the Ukrainian military had reclaimed about 20 square kilometers (7.5 square miles) or territory from the Russian forces in the past few days around Bakhmut.

Maliar, who has indicated previously that the Ukrainian advances around Bakhmut are not part of a broader counteroffensive planned by Kyiv, said developments there ‘should not be taken out of context’.

‘For example, within a few days, our troops liberated about 20 square kilometers from the enemy in the north and south of the suburbs of Bakhmut,’ she wrote on the Telegram messaging app. 

‘At the same time, the enemy is advancing somewhat in Bakhmut itself, completely destroying the city with artillery.’ 

She reiterated that Russia was sending in new paratroopers and added: ‘Heavy battles continue with different results.’

Ukrainian soldiers fire a cannon near Bakhmut, an eastern city where fierce battles against Russian forces have been taking place, in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Friday

krainian servicemen rest at their positions after a fight, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, near the front line city of Bakhmut, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on May 11

The Ukrainian military said last week it had started to push Russian forces back around Bakhmut after months of heavy fighting, and Moscow acknowledged that its forces had fallen back north of the city. 

And Russia said two of its military commanders had been killed in combat near the town. 

Moscow’s main target for months has been Bakhmut, which it has come close to capturing but not quite taken in what would be its sole prize after months of the bloodiest ground combat in Europe since World War Two.

Putin sees the city as a stepping stone towards capturing the rest of the eastern Donbas region.

It comes as the US announced last week that it will provide $1.2 billion more in long-term military aid to Ukraine to further bolster its air defences amid Russian drone and missile attacks.

Unlike US equipment, weapons and ammunition sent from Pentagon stocks that can be delivered to Ukraine quickly, this money is to be spent over the coming months or even years to ensure Ukraine’s future security needs. 

The Pentagon said it will fund air-defense munitions and drones for air defense, and provide equipment to help modify Western air-defense launchers, missiles and radars so they can be used with Ukraine’s systems. 

It will also buy artillery rounds, howitzer ammunition, satellite imagery assistance and funding for ongoing maintenance and spare parts for a variety of systems. U.S. officials said the weapons include HAWK air-defense systems. 

The Pentagon said the aid will build the capacity of Ukraine’s military ‘to defend its territory and deter Russian aggression over the long term.’

Including this package, the U.S. has provided Ukraine nearly $37 billion in military aid since Russia invaded in February 2022.

 

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