The village of Ocheretino has been described as a major logistics hub for Ukrainian troops in the area
Russian troops continue to make gains in Donbass, and have captured the strategically important village of Ocheretino to the north of Donetsk, the Defense Ministry has said.
In a statement on Sunday, the ministry said the Russian “Center” group of forces had “completely liberated” the settlement “as a result of active [battle] actions.” Ocheretino is located some 25km northwest of the town of Avdeevka, which was taken by Moscow’s troops in February.
Earlier reports suggested that Russian forces captured the southern part Ocheretino as they advanced along a local rail line. Due to its infrastructure and geographical position, it played a major role in Ukraine’s defense in the area, as it helped to provide supplies to Kiev troops. Western media have suggested that after capturing Ocheretino, Russia could try to envelop Ukrainian troops in the neighboring sectors of the front.
According to Deep State, a Ukrainian analytical Telegram channel, the collapse of the defense in the area was triggered by a rotation blunder. The outlet claimed that the Ukrainian 115th Mechanized Brigade failed to relieve the 47th Brigade in time, leaving a portion of the front wide open to Russian attacks. The leadership of the 115th Mechanized Brigade has denied the accusation.
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