MOSCOW, July 5. /TASS/. As many as 170 mercenaries were killed in Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and the Donbass republics in the past ten days, Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergey Shoigu said on Tuesday.

"As many as 170 mercenaries were killed and another 99 refused to take part in military activities and left Ukraine in the past ten days," he specified during a conference call meeting.

According to Shoigu, "a successful offensive by the Russian army and the forces of the people’s republics has reduced the number of foreign mercenaries and fighters from private military companies active in the country."