Russian armed forces have established control over the eastern Ukrainian village of Bogdanovka, west of the city of Bakhmut, in the Donetsk region, Reuters reported.
The agency cited an official statement by the Russian Ministry of Defense from today.
The village has a strategic location, notes Reuters. It is located a little less than ten kilometers northeast of the city of Chasov Yar, which Russia is trying to reach after capturing the southern city of Avdeevka in February, BTA clarifies.
France Press points out that Bogdanovka is located between Bakhmut and Chasov Yar, in territory where Russian troops have been advancing in recent weeks against Ukrainian units exhausted by lack of ammunition.
"A unit of troops under the Southern Command has established full control over Bogdanovka and the area adjacent to the village in the Donetsk People's Republic," said a statement by the Russian Ministry of Defense, quoted by AFP.
The Donetsk People's Republic, occupying part of Ukraine's Donetsk region, has declared itself as part of Russia on the territory of Ukraine, and its leader is appointed by the Kremlin.
Until Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Bogdanovka was home to just over a hundred residents, AFP points out, noting that the announcement of Moscow's takeover of the village comes a day after the House of Representatives in Congress on The US has approved $95 billion in military aid, which includes $61 billion in aid to Ukraine.
The agency adds that in the third year of fighting against Russia, the Ukrainian army is exhausted by the shortage of ammunition and the difficulties in recruiting people for the front.