Russia has stated that its forces are still in control of villages near the devastated city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, refuting Ukraine’s claim that their own troops have liberated the front-line village of Andriivka.
On Saturday, Russia dismissed Ukraine’s allegations of being pushed out of Andriivka. This came after the commander of Ukraine’s land forces shared a video claiming to show the capture of Andriivka amidst a landscape of scorched territory and destruction.
The video depicts Ukrainian soldiers advancing on empty, devastated ground marked by the remains of burned trees and seeking shelter in the ruined buildings reduced to rubble. Another video showed trucks speeding down a deserted road.
Andriivka is approximately 14km (9 miles) south of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, where Kyiv has been resisting Moscow’s forces since June.
However, in its daily bulletin, Russia’s defense ministry stated that “the enemy… continues to carry out assaults… attempting in vain to dislodge Russian troops in the localities of Andriivka and Klishchiivka.”
This statement further adds to the confusion surrounding the situation on the ground in the village, which had only a few dozen residents before Russia’s offensive.
Post from www.aljazeera.com