Kremlin boasts of captured village

RUSSIA has claimed to have captured a village following a months-long push toward the city of Bakhmut.

Igor Konashenkov, Russia’s defence ministry spokesman, told a media briefing the village of Klishchiivka, five miles south of Bakhmut, had been ‘liberated’.

The claim could not be independently verified and Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment.

Taking Klishchiivka would be only a minor breakthrough for Russia, but the Kremlin is hungry for advances on the battlefield after months of setbacks.

Capturing Bakhmut, on the other hand, would allow Russia to disrupt Ukrainian supply lines in the east and threaten Ukrainian-held cities in the surrounding region.

The war has been largely static during the winter months, according to military analysts, except for some hot spots such as Bakhmut and nearby Soledar.

The Kremlin’s forces have kept up their long-distance shelling, hitting infrastructure and civilian areas.

The Ukrainian presidential office said yesterday at least five civilians have been killed over the previous 2 hours.