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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 August 2017
A theoretical model of the ensemble of galactic Wolf-Rayet stars is constructed, assuming that all of them are members of either close or wide binaries. The model provides a reasonable explanation of the observed number of WR stars, their distribution over masses, mass ratios of components in binary systems, and spatial velocities. It predicts that up to 10 % of the apparently single WR stars have relativistic companions hidden inside thick stellar winds.