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Among the Russian soldiers dispatched to the war in Ukraine, not a few were dispatched through the Wagner Group, a private mercenary company.
They charge forward with former convict mercenaries, and the Ukrainian military says the opponent looked like he was drugged.
Reporter Moon Jun-mo reports.
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Eastern Bakhmut, the biggest battlefield in Ukraine.
An intense gunfight ensues between Ukrainian forces and Russian Wagner mercenaries.
Ukrainian soldiers say that Wagner's mercenaries are coming using 'humanitarian tactics'.
[Andriy/Ukrainian Soldier: We fought continuously for 10 hours.
They came incessantly, to the extent that the word wave is not enough.]
When the mercenaries advance 30m in groups of 10, the next group advances another 30m, and so on.
Ukrainian soldiers confessed that they were particularly frightened by the reckless mercenaries.
[Andriy/Ukrainian Soldier: I clearly shot the machine gun, but the mercenaries didn't fall down even after being hit.
It seems that he took drugs before the battle.]
A former mercenary, Wagner, who deserted from fighting in Bahmut, revealed that he was using convict soldiers as 'bullet feeders'.
[Medvedev/Former Wagner Mercenary: The Wagner Group commanders only gave stupid instructions.
Because they drove the crew with only rifles in front of the enemy's tank.]
Wagner's group is recruiting prisoners from correctional facilities in Russia as mercenaries as the war is getting longer and there is a shortage of troops.
It is said that most of them are driven to the battlefield without proper training.
Satellite images taken of the Wagner Group cemetery at the end of last month identified seven times as many graves as two months ago.
"Russian troops and Wagner's mercenaries are increasing in the eastern battlefield," Ukrainian President Zelensky said, adding that Russia is aiming for a major counteroffensive in time for the first anniversary of the war.
(Video editing: Byungjik Kim)