Russian Army Says Recaptured Village in Ukraine’s Luhansk

Russia said Wednesday that its forces retook Klishchiivka, one of only a handful of villages on the eastern front that Ukraine regained during its counteroffensive last summer.

“Units of the Southern grouping of troops liberated the village of Klishchiivka” in the eastern Donetsk region, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Russian troops previously captured Klishchiivka in January 2023, but Ukraine reclaimed the village in September.

Klishchiivka lies south of the key frontline city of Bakhmut and had a population of about 500 people before Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

There was no immediate comment from Kyiv about Moscow’s capture claim.

Russian forces have claimed a series of gains since launching a surprise new ground offensive in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region earlier this month, taking advantage of Kyiv’s manpower shortages and delays in critical military aid from the United States.

The Ukrainian army has come under intense pressure over the past two weeks, forcing Kyiv’s already stretched forces to move resources and men to the areas where Russia is spearheading its new offensive.

On Monday, Moscow said it captured the highly-coveted Ukrainian stronghold of Bilogorivka, paving the way for its army to take full control of the eastern Luhansk region.