Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Wagner’s mercenary group, published a video on Saturday, which, according to his statements, shows coffins with the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers being repatriated to Kyiv-controlled territories, Reuters reports.

Head of Wagner Yevhen PrigozhinPhoto: Not specified / WillWest News / Profimedia

In the video, Prigozhin in military uniform says: “We are sending home another transport with Ukrainian army soldiers. They fought bravely and died. Therefore, the last truck will take them to their homeland,” he notes. Agerpres.

The footage shows people in uniform nailing coffins and loading them into a truck.

A unit led by Prigozhin, who has repeatedly praised the Ukrainian army, is leading the assault on Bakhmut, the capture of which will be a step for Russian forces to advance on larger cities in eastern Ukraine, such as Kramatorsk and Slovyansk.

On Friday, Prigozhin, also in military uniform, was filmed saying that the town of Bakhmut was “practically surrounded” by Russian troops and called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to withdraw his troops from the mining town in the east of the country.

Reuters geolocated the video from Friday to the village of Paraskoviyvka, 7 km north of the center of Bakhmut. Prigozhin announced the capture of Paraskoviivka on February 17.

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