The Ukrainian army on Wednesday rejected Russian claims that it had lost a key bridgehead on the Dnipro River frontline, which has been under heavy attack since it was lost by Russia.
Russia's defense minister said on Tuesday that Moscow's forces had recaptured the village of Krynky, which was taken by Ukrainian troops last year.
Russia stepped up its offensive ahead of the second anniversary of its invasion on Saturday, recapturing the symbolic town of Avdiivka last week.
Ukrainian troops have held positions near Krynky since November despite heavy Russian artillery fire.
“We officially report that this information is not true,” the command of the Ukrainian army on the southern front said about Russian claims to the village.
“The Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine continue to hold their positions (in Krynky),” the command said on social media.
It said Russian forces launched an attack on Krynky but suffered “significant losses” and retreated.
AFP was unable to verify the claims.
4/ The Kremlin likely hastily claimed the Russian occupation of Krynky to reinforce its desired information effects ahead of the March 2024 presidential election, although the Kremlin is likely raising expectations that the Russian military may not meet.… pic.twitter.com/xpZWG9VxgO
— Institute for War Studies (@TheStudyofWar) February 21, 2024
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that Krynky had been “cleared” by Ukrainian forces.
The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War said Wednesday that “available open-source visual evidence” as well as reports from both sides “suggest that Ukrainian forces maintain their limited bridgehead in the region.”
It added that it had seen “no visible evidence of recent significant Russian advances” in and around Krynky.
Russian military bloggers also did not report that Krynky was fully under Russian control. An influential outlet close to Moscow's forces said on Tuesday only that Ukrainian control in the region had “decreased.”
Putin presented the pilots with medals at a base in the Moscow suburbs after what he called a “turning point” on the front following the fall of Avdiivka.
“Thanks to heroic actions and impeccable preparation, we managed to reach a turning point in the most difficult areas of the front,” Putin told the pilots, according to Russian news agencies.
Moscow's capture of Avdiivka came after months of fighting that was costly for both sides.
In occupied Ukraine, Russian army chief Valery Gerasimov also presented the troops with medals for the capture of Avdiivka.
“For today, the main goal has been achieved: Avdiivka is liberated,” he said, a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry showed.
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He claimed that Avdiivka was captured in a “fairly short time, but this was preceded by a long period of preparation.”
Russian forces have been trying to take Avdiivka for months.
Ukrainian forces have complained of a shortage of key artillery and ammunition as they fend off concentrated Russian attacks on the eastern and southern sides of the war front. The US Congress is holding back a huge, crucial aid package.
According to Ukraine, Russia has suffered significant losses but still has a larger and better-equipped army.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted ahead of the anniversary that the country's armed forces were in an “extremely difficult” situation in many places.
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