Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported via its Telegram broadcast channel that its forces captured the Ukrainian village of Urozhaine on Sunday. The village, located in the Donetsk region, was seized by Russian forces early in the February 2022 invasion but was liberated in August of last year, according to Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar.
“As a result of successful operations, units of the Vostok group have seized the village of Urozhaine in the Donetsk People’s Republic and are clearing and demining it,” the Russian Ministry of Defense stated in a summary of the progress of its troops. The report also further specified that the Ukraine forces lost up to 155 servicemen in addition to various military equipment.
The alleged capture of the village comes only a few months after Avdiivka, a Ukrainian village also in the Donetsk region, was captured by Russian forces in February of this year.
As of right now, the Ukrainian forces have not mentioned the loss of the village. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) only reported in a Facebook post on Sunday morning a total of 18 attacks in the “Vremivsk sector,” which included the Urozhaine village. Further mention of the situation by the AFU was not made.
Reports from both sides remain unverified as news agencies were unable to confirm either claim.
Lieutenant Colonel Nazar Voloshyn, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Khortytsia forces, told US-based newsmagazine Newsweek on Sunday that “Kyiv’s military was holding off on official comments on the situation around Urozhaine, with “real battles” blazing on.”