Ukraine says it struck base used by Russian paramilitary Wagner group

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine says it has struck a base used by a Russian paramilitary group, as well as a bridge near the occupied city of Melitopol.

Sergiy Gaiday, governor of the Lugansk region in eastern Ukraine, says the base of the Wagner group was “destroyed by a precision strike.”

Little is known about the shadowy paramilitary group, which is believed to be linked to Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close associate of President Vladimir Putin.

The presence of Wagner paramilitaries has been documented in Libya, Mali, and Syria, among many other countries — particularly in Africa.

Ukrainian authorities also say that saboteurs blew up a railway bridge southwest of the city of Melitopol, which is held by Russian troops.