GROZNY, February 3. /TASS/. Fighters from the Akhmat commando unit, together with a brigade from the 2nd Army Corps, have taken a Ukrainian stronghold near the Vesyoloye settlement, Chechnya’s leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Friday.

"After a series of effective attacks on the enemy’s forces, they managed to gain a foothold in the Vesyoloye settlement area, taking a strategically important stronghold. Now, the fighters plan to continue advancing as they are in a better position than the enemy," Kadyrov pointed out.

He added that Russian troops had everything they needed to continue their advance, including the trophies they had captured when taking the stronghold.