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“One of the problems is when a new group of Russians settles on the lower floor of an apartment building. Civilians are living on the upper floors. Russians frequently do it, using civilians as a human shield,” says Anton. “They can settle between a kindergarten and a school, or inside one of them.”
This time, the Wagner mercenaries in Kadiivka had settled at a stadium in a residential area.
Oleh says a target is never destroyed the day after information is passed along. For the strike on the Wagner base in Kadiivka, preparations took about two weeks – from receiving the tip in May to striking the group on June 9.
During this time, local residents continuously checked to make sure the mercenaries continued to occupy the building. Those residents have since left the city.
According to Oleh, many locals knew that the Wagner Group was stationed in the city.
“Wagner mercenaries don’t know how to keep their mouths shut,” he says. “They themselves went around and introduced themselves as ‘an orchestra’ or ‘musicians’”
These self-given monikers are references to German composer Richard Wagner whom the group is believed to be named after.
“They were telling local girls, ‘we are an orchestra on a tour here,’” says Oleh.
Oleh found out exactly where the mercenaries were living at the stadium: in a large gym at the stadium’s premises. Under the stadium’s tribunes, the mercenaries set up an ammunition depot, with four or five of them standing guard there, and rotating frequently.
Videos from the site, published by Russian propagandists after Ukraine hit it, confirm Oleh’s description of the place.
A photo showing the aftermath of Ukraine's strike on the stadium in Kadiivka where allegedly the Wagner Group mercenaries lived and kept their ammunition. (Courtesy)
“In total, there were about 300 to 400 (mercenaries). It's hard to say the exact number. I don’t think they even know how many of them were in town,” Anton says.
It’s unknown what this group was doing or preparing to do in the Donbas. Wagner mercenaries are an elite force, more professional and experienced than regular Russian troops or their local collaborators.
Successful strike
Ukraine hit the stadium with artillery on early in the morning on June 9. The site was destroyed.
The Special Operation Forces’ serviceman and his informant disagree on what weapons Ukraine used to hit the stadium.
Anton says the strike was carried out with a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, recently provided to Ukraine by the U.S. But Ukraine only officially deployed HIMARS in Donbas in the second half of June.
Oleh thinks it was a more obsolete weapon. Russian-controlled proxies reported shelling conducted by a Grad self-propelled multiple rocket launcher. However, photos of the site don’t show multiple impact areas that would have been left by this type of rocket launcher.
“The place was immediately cordoned off after the attack,” says Oleh. The local militia was not allowed to enter. Russian officers took over the site.
“Because of this, it was difficult to verify information on casualties. After a laptop was found at the site by a local, it was immediately torn out of his hands by the Russians,” says Oleh.
It took a week to clean up the debris.
Anton puts the number of killed mercenaries at around 250.
“Even for Russia, such high losses of motivated, highly trained fighters is a lot,” says Anton.
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Oleh's information from the field is more modest.
“From one hospital, from another, the morgues, there was different data,” Oleh says. “Rescuers at the scene said there were 50 killed. Some of my sources said the dead were taken to a morgue in Luhansk. There they said that there were 150 bodies,” he added.
The number of survivors is unknown. A few hours before the Ukrainian strike, a part of the group left the site, according to Oleh. Around half of the group, including the ammunition depot guards, remained at the spot.
Russian-controlled proxies reported that 22 civilians were killed in the attack. They reported it as a strike on a residential area, and didn’t mention the presence of any military at all, let alone the Wagner Group.
Ukraine said only two civilians were killed as a result of the strike. Oleh agrees with Ukraine’s estimation.
“The (Russian-controlled proxies’) number was inflated, there weren’t 22 civilians. For some reason, they recorded 20 Wagner mercenaries as civilians,” says Oleh.
According to Oleh, the Wagner mercenaries on the site were mostly killed by concrete parts of the building crushing them.
Aftermath
Since the military occupation of Kadiivka began in 2014, Oleh has helped Ukraine in any way possible. He tracked Russian troop movement, handing over sensitive information to Ukrainian special services.
“In 2014, the Ukrainian military was not shooting at bases and warehouses like they do now. Although the data was still transmitted,” he says.
“A couple of months ago, Ukraine hit a base near my town for the first time. I bought a bottle of beer to celebrate. I've been waiting for this for eight years,” Oleh recounted.
Recently, Oleh has had more and more reasons to celebrate. In his town alone, Ukrainian troops have hit six ammunition depots so far, according to Oleh.
The last attack occurred on July 14, when according to Russian-controlled proxies, Ukraine hit Kadiivka with HIMARS. An ammunition depot caught fire as a result.
Oleh says the new long-range artillery provided by the West is significantly reducing the opportunity for Russian troops to conduct attacks and shelling of Ukrainian territory.
Meanwhile, Oleh and others continue their resistance by helping Ukraine far behind the front lines.