Russia Claims Seizure of More Ukrainian Villages as Ukraine Disputes Reports
Conflicting Reports on Control of Ukrainian Villages
MOSCOW, May 27 (Reuters) - Russian troops have taken control of one village in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region and another in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.
Ukraine's military and the country's most widely read military blog cast doubt on the Russian announcement.
Russian Defence Ministry Statements
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces had taken control of Hraniv in Kharkiv region on the border with Russia and Vozdvyzhivka in a highly contested part of Zaporizhzhia region.
Ukrainian Response to Russian Claims
Ukraine's 14th Army dismissed the Russian report, saying Hraniv was under the control of the Ukrainian military.
"Units of the Defence Forces of Ukraine are reliably holding designated defensive lines, effectively repelling enemy offensive actions, and inflicting significant losses on them in personnel and equipment," it said on Facebook.
Analysis from Ukrainian War Blog DeepState
DeepState, a Ukrainian war blog that tracks the two sides along the 1,250-km (775-mile) front line using open sources, said the Russian report of Vozdvyzhivka's capture was untrue.
It said a group of Russian servicemen had briefly entered the village earlier this month but had been evicted or killed.
Additional Disputed Claims in Sumy Region
On Tuesday, the 14th Army also denied the capture of one of two villages the Russian military claimed to have seized in Sumy region, a border area where Moscow says it wants to expand a buffer zone.
Wider Context of the Conflict
Russia, which holds about 20% of Ukraine's territory, has been engaged in a long campaign to secure control over all of the eastern Donetsk region, announcing the capture of villages each week.
But Ukraine's military has said in recent weeks that Russian advances had slowed and its military was in the strongest position it had been in many months.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Andrew Osborn, Ron Popeski and Stephen Coates)
