The Ukrainian army claimed on Sunday to have repelled an attack near the village of Blahodatne located in the Donestk region (eastern Ukraine), while the private Russian paramilitary group Wagner claimed to have taken control.
Kiev troops "
repelled attacks near (...) Blahodatne
" and thirteen other localities in the Donestk region, assured the Ukrainian general staff in its daily press release.
But the Wagner group had announced a little earlier that its units had taken control of this village.
“
Wagner PMC units took Blahodatne.
Blahodatne is under our control
,” said Evguéni Prigojine, leader of the paramilitary group, quoted by his press service.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has not confirmed at this stage.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: Olaf Scholz finally decides to deliver battle tanks
Moscow has made the capture of the entire separatist region of Donestk – which Russian President Vladimir Putin proclaimed the annexation at the end of September – the main objective of the conflict in Ukraine.
kyiv recently reported that Russian troops have increased their attacks in the east of the country, particularly against the towns of Vougledar and Bakhmout.
Russia seized in January, after intense fighting, the city of Soledar which was its first victory after several months of defeats on the battlefield.
Blahodatne is north of Bakhmout, a city coveted for many months by Moscow and where some of the heaviest fighting has taken place since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. In addition, local governor Pavlo Kirilenko reported Sunday that five civilians had been killed in attacks in the Donetsk region over the past day, including one person in Bakhmout.
