Star Metro - Ukraine claims control of key town on eastern front

Battlefield victories are especially important for Ukraine as President Volodymyr Zelensky prepares his second wartime visit to Washington next week in a bid to rally support.

"Klishchiivka was cleared of Russians," Oleksandr Syrsky, commander of the Ukrainian military's ground forces, posted on social media.

Zelensky praised the soldiers fighting near Bakhmut and singled out those who had retaken Klishchiivka, saying "Well done!" in his evening address to the nation.

Zelensky also said that Kyiv was "preparing new defence solutions for Ukraine", saying that "air defence and artillery are the priority", without providing details.

Klishchiivka, which was home to several hundred people before Moscow launched its offensive in February 2022, was captured by Russian troops in January.

Ilya Yevlash, spokesman for Ukrainian troops in the east, said that control over Klishchiivka could help the Ukrainian army encircle Bakhmut, captured by Russian forces in May after one of the war's longest and bloodiest battles.

"We have now gained a staging ground, which will in the future allow us to continue to develop offensive actions and liberate our land from the occupiers," Yevlash said in a televised statement.

The claimed recovery of Klishchiivka came after Ukraine's armed forces said Friday that the village of Andriivka, also located south of the eastern city of Bakhmut, had been retaken.

On Saturday, Russia denied its forces had been pushed out of the frontline village.

Kyiv began pushing back against Moscow's forces in the south and east of the country in June after building up Western weapons and recruiting assault battalions.

Ukrainian forces initially focussed on the northern and southern flanks of Bakhmut and have since been posting incremental gains.

W.Richard--SMC