Russia claims control of village in eastern Ukraine

Russian troops have announced they have taken control of a village in the eastern Ukrainian province of Kharkov.

A statement from the Russian Defense Ministry on January 21 said that its forces had taken control of the village of Krakhmalnoye after "successful proactive operations."

About 45 people lived in Krakhmalnoye before the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022. The village is located about 30 kilometers southeast of the city of Kupiansk, the center of the Kharkiv region. Russian forces are trying to take control of the city, which had a population of about 30,000 before the conflict and is home to an important railway line.

Ukrainian forces in action in this photo posted on January 13. Photo: Ukrainian Army

Ukrainian army spokesman Volodymyr Fitio said in a television interview that Russia's control of the village of Krakhmalnoye "has no important strategic significance".

"There are only five houses there," he said, adding that the Ukrainian army was still holding the front line well.

In recent days, Kharkiv authorities have repeatedly called on residents to evacuate, citing increasingly intense Russian attacks. About 3,000 people have left the area.

Russian forces took control of parts of Kharkiv province shortly after launching a military operation in early 2022 and have been fiercely confronting the Ukrainian army ever since.

On the same day, Denis Pushilin, the Russian-appointed mayor of Donetsk, accused Ukraine of shelling a crowded market there, killing 25 people and injuring 20.

According to Pushilin, emergency services have arrived at the scene and forensic experts are trying to collect fragments of the weapon used in the attack.

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the attack, calling it a "barbaric terrorist act" carried out by Ukraine, "using weapons supplied by the West".

Ukraine has not commented on the information.

Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, is one of four regions that Russia has declared annexation by the end of 2022 but Kiev and the West refuse to recognize.

Location of Kharkov region (red dot), eastern Ukraine. Graphic: RYV

Vu Hoang (According to Reuters, AFP )

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