A mural praises the Russian Wagner group and mercenaries fighting in Ukraine on March 30, 2022 in Belgrade, Serbia.
Pierre Crom Getty Images
Ukraine’s military said on Sunday its forces repelled an attack in the Blahodatne area of eastern Donetsk region, while Russia’s Wagner private military group said it had taken control of the village.
“Units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine repulsed the attack of the invaders in the area of … Blahodatne … in the Donetsk region,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in its daily morning report, referring to Saturday’s fighting.
He added that his forces repelled Russian attacks on the territory of 13 other settlements in the Donetsk region.
The Wagner Group, designated by the United States as a transnational criminal organization, said on the Telegram messaging app on Saturday that its unit had taken control of Blahodatne.
Reuters could not independently verify the report.
As fighting heats up in the Donetsk region, the exact lines of contact are unclear, particularly around the town of Bakhmut, where some of the heaviest fighting has been fought in recent weeks. The Wagner Group has made successful claims before.
Ukraine says the Russian offensive in Bakhmut is not over, but the situation on the front line is getting tougher. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that it was acute.
Four civilians were killed, one in Bakhmut, and 17 wounded in a Russian attack in the area on Saturday, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of the Donetsk region said on the Telegram messaging application.
Ukraine has won the promise of Western battle tanks and fighter jets to push back against Russian and pro-Moscow forces, which are slowly advancing along parts of the front line.
On Saturday, Zelenskiy’s top aide said urgent discussions were taking place between Ukraine and its allies on a request for long-range missiles to prevent Russia from destroying Ukrainian cities.