Russian forces seized control of Urozhaynoe, a settlement captured last year by Kiev in its ultimately failed counteroffensive
FILE PHOTO. © Sputnik / Stanislav Krasilnikov
The Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday announced the liberation of Urozhaynoye, a large village located in the southwest of the Donetsk People’s Republic.
The village has seen intense combat over the past few weeks, with Moscow’s forces gradually seizing control of the settlement, which had been home to around 1,000 residents before the conflict.
“As a result of successful actions, units of the ‘Vostok’ [’East’] grouping of troops captured the village of Urozhaynoye, Donetsk People’s Republic, and are currently conducting house-to-house searches and demining,” the ministry said in its daily briefing.
Earlier this week, a video surfaced online of Russian troops hoisting the country’s flag at the ruins of the village’s administration building. Footage gives a glimpse of the widespread destruction sustained by the settlement.
Urozhaynoye was among a handful of locations wrestled by Ukrainian forces from the Russian military amid the long-hyped counteroffensive last year. The push ultimately resulted in a major failure for Kiev, providing little gains coupled with heavy losses in personnel and hardware.
The few gains yielded by the counteroffensive have been largely reversed after the push waned late last year.