The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic in Donbas has announced that it has taken control of the small village of Klishchiivka, located south of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, the Russian state news agency TASS reports.

Mercenaries of the Wagner groupPhoto: Viktor Antonyuk / Sputnik / Profimedia

“Starting from January 20, 2023, Russian troops liberated Klishchiivka on the territory of the DPR,” says the statement of the military command of the DPR, quoted by TASS, news.ro writes.

TASS quotes Colonel Vitaly Kiselyov as saying that this is of strategic importance for the offensive on the city of Bakhmut.

According to Reuters, Klishchiivka, which had a population of about 400 before the war, is located about 9 kilometers south of Bakhmut, where Wagner Group mercenaries have been waging a battle of attrition with Ukrainian forces for months.

Wagner announced on Thursday that he captured Klischiivka. Reuters could not independently confirm the claims from the battlefield.

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