Russia takes control of Kleshcheevka village

According to the official announcement of the Russian Ministry of Defense, combat units in the Donetsk region have taken full control of the strategic village of Kleshcheevka.

Russian troops have taken control of Kleshcheevka. Photo: RIAN

Along with the village of Kleshcheevka, units of the Southern Operational Group also attacked the soldiers and military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the areas of Georgievka, Ostrogo and Konstantinovka in Dontetsk. The Russian attacks caused significant losses for the AFU and forced them to retreat.

The village of Kleshcheevka is located southwest of Artemovsk (Bakhmut in Ukrainian) and is significantly higher than the surrounding areas. During the battles of 2023, Kleshcheevka was nicknamed “the key to Bakhmut”.

Military experts say that gaining control of Kleshcheevka is very important for the Russian Army. From here, Russia can control the Gorlovka - Artemovsk railway. To the northwest is the highway connecting Artemovsk with the large city of Konstantinovka. The distance from Kleshcheevka to Artemovsk is about 10km.

It was here that the AFU managed to hold out after the liberation of Artemovsk. Now the Russian Army can easily move its logistics line from the south towards Chasov Yar.

Earlier this week, the AFU attempted to counterattack the Russian Army in the direction of Kleshcheevka. On the night of May 20, Ukrainian troops secretly approached the village, but were detected and intercepted by the Russian 6th Motorized Rifle Division.

After the unsuccessful counterattack, military expert and former head of the Donetsk region military command, Andrei Marochko, reported that the AFU abandoned its positions in Kleshcheevka. The retreat was chaotic, essentially a rout. According to Andrei Marochko, the Russian army then began clearing the outskirts of the village. Adviser to the Donetsk region leadership, Igor Kimakovsky, assessed that the AFU withdrew to concentrate on Chasov Yar with the aim of defending this endangered area.

For nearly two years, Kleshcheevka has been the site of fierce fighting between the AFU and the Russian Army. Especially during the major counteroffensive in 2023, the AFU concentrated its counteroffensive forces to control Kleshcheevka. The battle lasted more than 200 days and became one of the longest battles since Russia began its special military operation.

NATO special forces bases in Ukraine are in Russia's sights. Photo: Getty

Meanwhile, the British newspaper The Sun reported that the Russian Army had just launched a raid to destroy secret bases on the front line where foreign mercenaries trained AFU soldiers. Many of them were completely destroyed after the surprise attack.

The Sun newspaper describes one of the bases in the Kharkiv region. American and British mercenaries are training Ukrainians. According to former British soldier Dan Ridley, the base’s operations are not funded by Kiev. In total, these facilities have trained about 14,000 Ukrainian soldiers.

Former US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said that if NATO bases training AFU troops appeared in Ukraine, they would become legitimate targets for the Russian military. This would mean a direct NATO presence on the battlefield, which could lead to “increased tensions in the war in the other direction”.

Ms. Victoria Nuland admitted that, in the context of escalating conflicts, Western armies are finding it increasingly difficult to send new Ukrainian soldiers to military training on the territory of NATO member countries.

Regarding the war situation in Kharkov, while Ukraine's main attention was focused on the Russian Army's breakthrough from the Center to the southern outskirts of the town of Volchansk, the Russian side began a new advance from the East and West to form a pincer movement to encircle the AFU forces in this strategic town.

Most notable was the attack along Volokhovka, Bochkovo, Okhrimovka, Malaya Volchya, Varvarovka, Nikolaevka and Budarki. The capture of this chain of settlements allowed the Russian Northern Operational Group to level the front line and force the AFU to reorganize its defenses once again.

Given the fact that over the past 48 hours the Russian Air Force has repeatedly attacked the positions of Ukrainian troops in these areas, such a tactical move is quite possible.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/chien-su-nga-ukraine-hom-nay-ngay-2352024-nga-gianh-quyen-kiem-soat-lang-kleshcheevka-321875.html