Russian mercenary chief warns of Ukrainian counterattack and plans to recruit 30,000 more fighters.

The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary force, Yevgeny Prigozhi, warned Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu that Ukraine was planning an imminent counterattack to cut off the invading army. Prigozhi estimated that his forces currently controlled 70% of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, which the Kremlin has attempted to capture since last summer. Wagner is a private military company founded by Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch and a close confidant of Putin, who is overseeing 50,000 fighters in Ukraine, including convicts enlisted for the war.