The Russian army on Tuesday took control of Sieverné, a village in eastern Ukraine very close to the recently captured city of Avdiivka, as it continued its offensive in the area and scored several successes.
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The Russian Defense Ministry also announced the destruction of an Abrams tank by Ukrainian forces in the sector, the first such claim by Moscow since Washington delivered these heavy armored vehicles to Kiev.
Russian soldiers “liberated” the village of Sieverné, the Russian ministry assured on Telegram.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian army, Dmytro Lykhovy, confirmed that Ukrainian troops had “withdrew from the small villages of Sieverne and Stepové.”
He claimed that the “heavy fighting around Sieverné” continued into the evening and night hours and reported “heavy losses” in the Russian ranks.
Ukraine had already admitted on Monday that it had withdrawn its soldiers from another village of Lastochkyné, a few kilometers from Sieverné, “in order to organize defense”.
“Nine counterattacks by attack groups of the Ukrainian army were repelled” near the towns of Niou-York, Pervomaiske and Petrivské in the same Donetsk region, the Russian army also said on Tuesday.
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The day before, Russian Telegram channels broadcast unconfirmed images purporting to show an Abrams tank in flames, filmed from the air after it was destroyed.
At the end of September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the arrival of the first Abrams tanks in Ukraine several months in advance and then launched a counteroffensive in the summer that ultimately failed.
At the time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded by promising that these armored vehicles would “also burn.” He was repeating a warning from Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of the delivery of the first German Leopard tanks.
On Monday, in response to the first announcements about the destruction of this Abrams tank, Mr. Peskov reiterated that these tanks “will burn like the others” and praised “the work” of Russian troops, who, in his opinion, are “demilitarizing Ukraine every day.” . ” .
Russia, appearing confident despite its significant loss of life, captured Avdiivka in mid-February.
The capture of this fortified city, which has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance, marked the first truly major territorial gain since the capture of Bakhmut in May 2023.
Faced with the Russian army, the Ukrainian armed forces are suffering from a lack of ammunition and difficulties in recruiting.
In recent days, Ukrainian officials led by Volodymyr Zelensky have called on Western allies to deliver more weapons more quickly.