The Ukrainian Army claimed this morning to have recaptured the village of Andriivka, ten kilometers south of the devastated city of Bakhmut, on the eastern front, in one of the axes of the counteroffensive against the Russian invasion.
“The Defense Forces had partial success in the Klichchiivka area during offensive operations,” the Ukrainian General Staff stated in the daily report published on the social network Facebook.
“During the attack they liberated Andriivka in the Donetsk region. [e] “It inflicted significant losses on the enemy in terms of personnel and equipment,” he added.
On Thursday, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar wrote on the Telegram messaging platform: “Andriivka is ours.” A publication later edited, after the denial of the presence of a Ukrainian assault unit on the ground.
“The statement about the capture of Andriivka is false and premature. Serious and intense fighting is currently taking place in the Klichtchiivka and Andriivka areas,” the 3rd assault brigade of the Ukrainian army said on Telegram.
“Such statements are harmful, they put the lives of personnel at risk and harm the execution of combat missions,” the brigade warned.
Bakhmut, located in Donetsk province, has been one of the main points of clashes between kyiv troops and Moscow forces in recent months.
Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February last year, claimed control of Bakhmut in May following the presence there of mercenaries from the Wagner group. After abandoning their positions, these elements transferred operational command to Russian forces.
The Ukrainian military has been leading a counteroffensive since early June, aiming to repel Russian forces in the east and south, but is facing powerful defensive lines made up of trenches, minefields and anti-tank traps.
Ukrainian pressure has intensified in recent weeks, especially on the southern front, with the capture of the village of Robotyne, towards the city of Tokmak, an important logistical point for Russian forces.
Kiev has also sought to disrupt Russian lines of communication, having in recent weeks used sea and air missiles and drones to attack Russian bases in Crimea and warships of the Russian fleet near the coast of that occupied peninsula.
Ukraine on Thursday claimed responsibility for the destruction of a €1.1 billion Russian air defense system in Crimea, the second consecutive day of missile and drone attacks on the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.
In his daily address to the nation on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated military intelligence, the SBU and the Navy on the strike, describing the success of the operation as “very significant.”
Source: TSF
