Russia gains control of the village of Kleshcheevka

According to an official statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense , combat units in the Donetsk region have completely taken 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 Task Force also attacked soldiers and military equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) in the Georgievka, Ostrogo, and Konstantinovka areas of Donetsk. The Russian attacks inflicted significant losses on the AFU and forced them to retreat.

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

Military experts believe that gaining control of Kleshcheevka is crucial for the Russian Army. From there, Russia can control the Gorlovka-Artemovsk railway line. To the northwest lies the highway connecting Artemovsk with the large city of Konstantinovka. The distance from Kleshcheevka to Artemovsk is approximately 10 km.

It was here that the AFU managed to hold out after liberating Artemovsk. Currently, the Russian Army can easily move its logistics lines from the south towards Chasov Yar.

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

Following the unsuccessful counterattack, military expert and former Donetsk region military leader Andrei Marochko announced that the AFU had abandoned its positions at Kleshcheevka. The retreat was chaotic, essentially a panic. According to Andrei Marochko, the Russian army then began clearing the outskirts of the village. Igor Kimakovsky, an advisor to the Donetsk region leadership, assessed that the AFU had withdrawn to concentrate on Chasov Yar with the goal of protecting this endangered area.

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

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

The Sum newspaper described one of the bases located 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 Kyiv. In total, these facilities have trained approximately 14,000 Ukrainian soldiers.

Former U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said that if NATO bases training AFU (Air Force Fussier) troops appeared in Ukraine, they would become legitimate targets for the Russian military. This would mean a direct NATO presence on the battlefield, potentially leading to "increased tensions in the war in the opposite direction."

Victoria Nuland acknowledged that, amid escalating conflict, Western militaries are facing increasing difficulties in deploying Ukrainian recruits for military training on the territory of NATO member states.

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Regarding the situation in Kharkiv, while Ukraine's main attention is focused on the Russian Army's breakthrough from the center into the southern outskirts of Volchansk, the Russians have begun a new offensive from the east and west to form a pincer movement encircling AFU forces in this strategic town.

Most notably, the offensive was directed along Volokhovka, Bochkovo, Okhrimovka, Malaya Volchya, Varvarovka, Nikolaevka, and Budarki. Capturing this chain of settlements allowed the Russian Northern Task Force to level the front line and force the AFU to restructure its defenses once again.

Given that the Russian Air Force has been continuously attacking Ukrainian positions in these areas over the past 48 hours, such a tactical move is entirely possible.

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