Russia declares control of a village in eastern Ukraine

An archive photo of members of the Russian army in Ukraine.

Russia announced on Tuesday that its forces had taken control of the village of Blahodatny, just north of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, where some of the fiercest fighting of the war has taken place in recent weeks.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it had taken Blahodatny, about 5 km (5 km) north of Bakhmut, with the help of air support.

The Russian private military group, "Wagner", had already announced last Saturday that its units had taken control of Blahodatny, but Kyiv said at the time that it had repulsed the attack on the village.

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