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Military operation in Ukraine

Majority of foreign mercenaries fighting for Ukraine stationed in Kramatorsk — DPR head

Denis Pushilin noted that thanks to enhanced technologies, including drones, Russian forces could see the contingent located there

MOSCOW, June 29. /TASS/. The foreign mercenaries that are fighting on the side of the Ukrainian army are predominantly stationed in Kramatorsk, Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Acting Head Denis Pushilin said.

"Our units are registering the presence of mercenaries. And the fact that currently they are stationed <...> mostly in Kramatorsk, is also obvious, due to the fact that this is one of the cities left [in the DPR] under Ukrainian control with appropriate infrastructure," he told Channel One.

He added that thanks to enhanced technologies, including drones, Russian forces can see the contingent located there. "It’s a fact that there are more foreign mercenaries there lately," the official noted.

On Wednesday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro instructed the country’s Foreign Ministry to express protest to Russia after three Colombian nationals had been wounded as a result of a strike on Kramatorsk. According to the Infobae news portal, former adviser to the Colombian president Sergio Jaramillo, writer Hector Abad and journalist Catalina Gomez went to the DPR after attending a book fair in Kiev.

In response to Kiev’s accusations that civilians were killed after Russia’s missile strike on Kramatorsk, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia never targets civilian infrastructure. On Wednesday, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov said that the Russian military had struck the temporary deployment site of the command staff of the Ukrainian army’s 56th motorized infantry brigade in Kramatorsk in the DPR. Later, the Russian Embassy in Colombia called the Colombians’ trip to Kramatorsk reckless.

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Military operation in Ukraine

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