Russian army says captures village in eastern Ukraine

By : AFP

Date: 1 Apr 2025

This video grab taken from a handout footage posted on May 5, 2023 on the Telegram account of the press-service of Concord -- a company linked to the chief of Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin -- shows Yevgeny Prigozhin addressing the Russian army's top brass standing in front of Wagner fighters at an undisclosed location. - The head of Russian paramilitary group Wagner on Friday threatened to pull his fighters from the front line in Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine on May 10, saying ammunition shortages meant they faced "senseless death". "On May 10, 2023 we will have to hand over our positions in Bakhmut to units of the defence ministry and withdraw Wagner units to rear camps to lick our wounds," Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a written statement on his Telegram channel. (Photo by Handout

Russia said on Tuesday its army had captured another village in eastern Ukraine, as its troops press on across the battlefield.

The Russian defence ministry said on social media that its forces had captured the village of Rozlyv in the Donetsk region, which Russia claims to have annexed despite not having full control over it.

Russia is still trying to capture the whole of eastern and southern Ukraine, though the pace of its advance has dipped in recent months, according to independent analysts.

AFP journalists visited the village of Rozlyv in October, when Russian troops were some 20 kilometres (12 miles) away and advancing rapidly.

Locals who spoke to AFP then, many who had already fled homes in towns captured by Russia, doubted whether they had the strength to relocate once more.

Russia’s defence ministry also accused Ukraine of a drone attack on an energy site in the Belgorod border region — the latest in a string of such accusations over the last week.

“Thus, regardless of its public statements of support for the Russian-US agreements on a phased settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, the Kyiv regime continues to unilaterally strike Russia’s energy facilities on a daily basis,” the defence ministry said.

The United States last week said the leaders of both Russia and Ukraine had agreed to halt strikes on energy facilities — though no formal agreement or ceasefire has been put in place and both sides have accused the other of launching fresh attacks.