Ukraine reclaims long-occupied village outside Bakhmut - report

Ukraine appears to have recaptured a key village near Bakhmut city according to a photo posted by the head of the presidential office in Kyiv, Andrii Yermak, reported to show Ukrainian soldiers in the village.

"Ukraine always takes back its own," Yermak said on his Telegram channel on Sunday, captioning the photo, which shows military personnel holding Ukrainian flags in front of a destroyed church.

Based on the prominent church in the photo, Ukrainian media located the picture as being taken in the village of Klishchiivka, just south of the embattled city of Bakhmut in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.

Recent weeks have seen heavy fighting around the village, long held by Russian forces. The Ukrainian Defence Ministry has not yet formally claimed the liberation of the village, occupied by Russia in January 2023.

Kyiv has said, however, that it has recaptured the neighbouring village of Andriivka. According to pictures, however, not much is left of the village as a result of the heavy fighting.

Ukraine's recapture of Klishchiivka could form a tactical blow to Russian occupiers in Bakhmut, who are now at risk of being attacked from both southern and northern fronts.

At the end of May, Russia declared it had control over Bakhmut, and both sides in the war have been fighting around the city for about half a year. Mercenaries of the private Wagner army have mainly been deployed here on the Russian side.