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Military operation in Ukraine

Wagner Group fighters liberate community near Artyomovsk in Donetsk advance

It is reported that fierce battles are still raging around Kleshcheyevka

Yevgeny Prigozhin Mikhail Metzel/POOL/TASS

Yevgeny Prigozhin

© Mikhail Metzel/POOL/TASS

MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. The community of Kleshcheyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic is under full control of Wagner Group’s forces, Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the private military company, said on Thursday.

"It can be said for certain that the settlement of Kleshcheyevka, which is a major suburb of Bakhmut [the Ukrainian name for Artyomovsk], has been placed under full control of units of the Wagner private military company," the company’s press office quoted Prigozhin as saying in a statement on Telegram.

"Kleshcheyevka has been liberated. Fierce battles are still raging around Kleshcheyevka. The enemy is holding on to each meter of land," he said.

As the commentary says, "contrary to various opinions that Ukrainian troops are fleeing Artyomovsk, this is not the case."

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