Russia said on Monday that it had "
completely
" taken control of a locality located in the immediate vicinity of Bakhmout, a city in eastern Ukraine which Russian forces have been trying to seize for several months.
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"
Volunteers from assault detachments, with the cooperation of airborne units and the support of artillery units (...) have completely liberated the locality of Paraskoviïvka
," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Tensions with Wagner
This village is located at the northern entrance to Bakhmout, at the junction of two important roads.
On Friday, the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, on the front line in the battle for Bakhmout, had already claimed the capture of Paraskoviïvka.
Tensions between the Russian army and Wagner have come to light in recent weeks, when they separately claimed the capture of certain localities.
Wagner's boss, Yevgeny Prigojine, has repeatedly criticized the Russian high command, accusing it of being ineffective and of not giving it sufficient means to take Bakhmout, fiercely defended by Ukrainian forces.
Read alsoWagner, a high-risk staging
For more than six months, the Wagner group and the Russian army have been trying to conquer Bakhmout, a city whose strategic importance is limited but which has gained great symbolic importance due to the duration and bitterness of the fighting.
The forces of Kiev and Moscow suffered heavy losses there and many analysts believe that Russia would like to seize it before the date of the first anniversary of the launch of its offensive against Ukraine, on February 24.
In recent weeks, the Russian assaults seem to have redoubled in intensity along the front line in the East.