One of two British volunteers found dead in Ukraine, claims Russia's Wagner Group

Private company of mercenaries hired by President Vladimir Putin, Russia's Wagner Group claimed that the body of one of the missing British aid workers had been found in Ukraine. The two British aid workers were 28-year-old Christopher Parry and 48-year-old Andrew Bagshaw. On their Telegram channel, the group said that documents belonging to both Britons had been found on the body of Christopher Parry without revealing where the body was found. 

The group also shared two photos of passports which showed the names of Andrew Bagshaw and Christopher Parry along with the statement on Telegram. This comes after a spokesperson for the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said, "We are supporting the families of two British men who have gone missing in Ukraine." "We are aware of recent reports and are in touch with the Ukrainian authorities," the UK official added.

Ukrainian police said the two left the city of Kramatorsk for the town of Soledar on Friday morning and were reported missing on Saturday evening after contact with them was lost. Originally from Cornwall, Parry had been working as a running coach in Cheltenham when Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, reported Sky News. Bagshaw resided in New Zealand, and his family earlier released a statement saying that he went to Ukraine because he believed it to be the "morally right thing to do".

Wagner claims control of Ukraine's Soledar

The fate of Soledar in east Ukraine was unclear on Wednesday, with Russian mercenary group Wagner claiming to control the gateway town while the Kremlin cautioned against declaring victory prematurely. The Russian defence ministry contradicted Wagner's claims saying fighting in the war-battered salt mining city was ongoing and Kyiv denied any Russian takeover.

Wagner units took control of the entire territory of Soledar. A cauldron has been formed in the center of the city in which urban fighting is going on," said Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner group leader said in an audio message posted on Telegram late on Tuesday. "The number of prisoners will be announced tomorrow," he added. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the whole land near Soledar "is covered with the corpses of the occupiers and scars from the strikes," adding that "this is what madness looks like."