The Russian Defense Ministry has shared footage of the liberation of the key settlement of Klescheevka in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) earlier this week. The village has been described as a strategically important logistical hub in Donbass.
The ministry reported on Wednesday that Russian troops belonging to the ‘South’ group of forces had taken full control of Klescheevka following intense fighting that has raged in the area since spring 2023. Klescheevka is located south of the key city of Artyomovsk in the northeastern part of the DPR.
The videos shared on the ministry’s official Telegram channel on Friday include footage of Russian artillery strikes on targets within and nearby the village using high-precision Krasnopol shells. Footage from FPV drones was also provided by the ministry.
In one clip, a Russian UAV can be seen targeting a group of Ukrainian troops who were taking refuge in the basement of a destroyed house. Another clip shows a Russian assault group entering into close combat with Ukrainian soldiers, eliminating the enemy forces and capturing a dugout.
The video also includes footage of the moment troops raised the Russian flag and a victory banner above the village after fully capturing it.
The liberation of Klescheevka comes as Russian forces make significant advances in the DPR and other regions. On Thursday, the Defense Ministry also reported the capture of Andreevka, a village located south of the strategically important city of Chasov Yar and some 4km south of Klescheevka.
According to the Russian ministry’s estimates, Kiev’s forces have lost nearly 500 servicemen in the area over the past few days, as well as several US- and British-made weapon systems.
Additionally, in the past two weeks, Russia has also captured over a dozen settlements in Ukraine’s northern Kharkov Region, thereby pushing the front line further away from the Russian border.