MELITOPOL, September 25. /TASS/. Russian forces have pushed Ukrainian troops out of the village of Orekhovo-Vasilyevka, located northwest of the city of Artyomovsk (known as Bakhmut in Ukraine), Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the We Stand With Russia movement, said.

"Russian soldiers active on the northern flank of the Artyomovsk frontline have pushed the Ukrainian armed forces’ fighters out of the settlement of Orekhovo-Vasilyevka. Our guys took the Nazis by surprise; they had not been expecting an attack and were forced to flee," he wrote on Telegram.

According to Rogov, the liberation of the village has significantly improved Russian forces’ tactical positions along this stretch of the combat line of engagement.

The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier that the Ukrainian armed forces had been making unsuccessful attempts at a counteroffensive since June 4. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on September 12 that, since then, Ukrainian troops had lost 71,500 troops, 543 tanks and almost 18,000 armored vehicles of various types. According to the Russian head of state, Ukraine’s counteroffensive has failed to produce any results.