The Russian army claimed on Saturday to have gained ground northwest of the Ukrainian town of Kurakhové, an important stronghold that Moscow said it had conquered earlier this week in the Donetsk region (east).
In a press release, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that units of the Center grouping had “liberated” the town of Shevchenko.
This village is located about 10 kilometers northwest of the center of Kourakhové. According to the Russian news agency Ria Novosti, its control makes it possible to limit Ukrainian fire on this city and to continue advancing towards the western borders of the Donetsk region.
Moscow claimed on Monday to have conquered Kurakhové, a defensive position of importance for Ukrainian troops in the south of the Donbass mining basin.
The loss of this town, which had around 18,000 inhabitants before the war, has since not been officially confirmed by Ukraine.
The Ukrainian general staff indicated on Saturday that kyiv troops had repelled Russian attacks in the area, particularly around Kurakhové.
Saturday morning, the combat map established by the military blog DeepState, close to the Ukrainian army, shows the entirety of Kurakhové, as well as that of Shevchenko, under Russian control.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian army assured that it would continue to fight in the western part of Kurakhové.
Russian troops have advanced slowly but steadily on the front throughout 2024, without achieving a major breakthrough.
They also threaten the city of Pokrovsk, an important logistical hub for Ukrainian forces.
A civilian was killed on Friday in Pokrovsk by Russian fire, the Ukrainian governor of the Donetsk region, Vadym Filachkine, announced on Telegram on Saturday.
In the town of Prymorsk, in the Zaporizhia region (south), Russian shelling hit a car on Saturday morning, killing a woman and injuring four other civilians, said the governor, Ivan Fedorov.
Another civilian, injured Thursday in a Russian drone attack, died in the Kherson region (south), local governor Oleksandr Prokudin announced on Saturday.
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