21 U.S. Citizens Among 335 Mercenaries Killed Fighting for Ukraine: Kremlin

Over 300 people including 21 U.S. citizens have been killed fighting for Ukraine, Russian defense ministry announced Tuesday.

"The number of mercenaries involved in fighting in Ukraine declined from 2,741 to 2,192 in the past four weeks, from July 8 to August 5, as a result of offensive operations by the Russian Armed Forces and the People’s Militias of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics," Igor Konashenkov, Russian MoD spokesman, said at a regular press briefing.

Konashenkov added that 175 mercenaries, including 81 from Georgia, arrived in Ukraine in recent weeks.

"The number of mercenaries arriving in Ukraine does not offset their losses. A total of 335 mercenaries were killed in the reported period. Another 389 militants left Ukraine," he claimed.

He said there are 99 Polish nationals, 36 Canadians, 33 Romanians and 21 U.S. citizens among those killed.

Russia's Wagner group recruiting fighters?

Meanwhile, Russia’s private military contractor ‘Wagner’ is reportedly recruiting fighters to join its ranks in Ukraine, The Guardian writes. The organization has put up billboards at several Russian cities of which one of them reads “Motherland, Honor, Blood, Bravery. WAGNER.”

“It looks like they have decided that they will no longer try to hide their existence. By now, everyone knows who they are,” said Denis Korotkov, a former Novaya Gazeta journalist and longtime observer of Wagner.

Wagner was established in 2014 to support pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. The U.S. and others say it is funded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a powerful businessman closely linked to Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin denies any links to the group.