Several members of Russia’s private Wagner military organisation were killed in an attack by Ukrainian forces on a hotel, according to a senior official in eastern Ukraine on Sunday.
Serhiy Gaidai, the governor of the Russian-occupied Luhansk area, gave a report in a televised interview that Reuters was unable to confirm.
In an interview with Ukrainian television, Gaidai claimed that forces attacked a hotel on Saturday in the village of Kadiivka, which is located west of the region’s largest city, Luhansk. Images shared on Telegram channels revealed a building that was mostly reduced to ruins.
They made a small pop right there, close to the Wagner corporate office. “A large proportion of people present perished.”
The Russian defence ministry could not be reached for comment right away. Gaidai did not provide casualty totals, but he warned those who survived would not receive sufficient medical care.
“I am sure that at least 50% of those who managed to survive will die before they get medical care,” he said. “This is because even in our Luhansk region, they have stolen equipment.”
Local officials were mentioned in the Ukrainian media as indicating that the hotel has been shuttered for a while.
A private military contractor with strong ties to the Kremlin is the Wagner organisation.
Its forces are reportedly engaged in combat in some regions of Ukraine and have also been stationed in other African nations.
Assaults by Ukrainian forces on other targets in the Luhansk region have previously been reported by Gaidai, including an attack on the Wagner headquarters in the town of Popasna in August.
