The Kremlin says the Russian leader met Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin and nearly three dozen of his mercenary commanders for talks in Moscow late last month.
Zelenskyy made the alarming claim in his nightly video address, adding that he believes the Russians may soon damage the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and blame Ukraine.
Russia's Defense Ministry says Wagner mercenaries are marching on Moscow. Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin has been formally charged with "inciting an armed revolt" by Russia's Federal Security Bureau.
Soldiers spent months making clandestine trips across Ukraine's Dnipro River to plan the counteroffensive. Instead of facing off against Russian forces, this unit found itself fighting floodwaters.
The surging water from the Kakhovka dam is likely to cause widespread flooding and poses an additional risk to an already troubled nuclear plant. Russia says Ukraine is to blame.