Ukraine military denies Russian mercenary Wagner group's claim of capturing villages near Bakhmut

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The Ukrainian military, on Sunday (February 26) said that Russia conducted an unsuccessful operation near Yahidne over the past day. This comes after Moscow’s Wagner group claimed that they have captured the Ukrainian village of Berkhivka which is located on the outskirts of Bakhmut. These conflicting claims could not be independently verified. The mercenary group claimed to have captured the villages in eastern Ukrain, a region where the fighting has intensified in recent weeks.

The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, in his morning update, said that Russia’s offensive efforts have been focused along the Bakhmut front line which is also where Yahidne is located. The key eastern Ukrainian city has witnessed some of the most intense fighting where there are now only some 5,000 residents out of the 70,000 prior to the now-a-year-old Russian invasion.

What the Wagner group had claimed

The Russian mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhinhad on Saturdayclaimed that they have captured the eastern Ukrainian villageof Yahidne. "At 1900 on 25th February, storm units of the Wagner Private Military Company secured complete control of the locality of Yagodnoye (Yahidne) to the north of Bakhmut," saidPrigozhin, in an audio clip,as per Reuters.

This also came a day after he had claimed control of Berkhivka which is a village located on the outskirts of Bakhmut. "Berkhivka is fully under our control. Units of Wagner Private Military Company are in full control of Berkhivka," said the Wagner chief, on social media.

Earlier this month, Prigozhin, in an interview had also said how Bakhmut is the key to Russia’s plan to firmly establish its presence in eastern Ukraine.

What has the Ukrainian military said?

In the aforementioned Ukrainian bulletin, the military said that Russia has conducted “unsuccessful offensives” in six settlements in the eastern Donetsk region, which Moscow has previously claimed to have annexed and also includes Yahidne and Berkhivka.

The bulletin, on Sunday, also said that Russia shelled some parts of the 22 settlements along the front line in Donetsk over the past day, while Ukraine has managed to counter 71 attacks in Donetsk and some other regions along the frontline, reported Reuters.

(With inputs from agencies)

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