Wagner Group founder claims Klishchiivka was captured near Bakhmut. Kyiv says enemy was repelled

Founder of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin has announced that Wagner mercenaries have captured the village of Klishchiivka near Bakhmut, Ukraine’s Donetsk region, his press service reports.

“We can safely say that the village of Klishchiivka which is one of Bakhmut’s important suburbs is fully under control of Wagner Group units. [It was captured] exclusively by Wagner Group units. <…> Fierce fighting is still ongoing around Klishchiivka,” Prigozhin said in an audio message.

According to the mercenary group founder, “the Ukrainian army works concisely and in a coordinated manner” but “Wagner Group units are moving ahead metre by metre”.

The Ukrainian General Staff in its morning report noted that Ukrainian troops repelled the enemy’s attack near Klishchiivka.

“In the past 24 hours, Ukraine’s defence force units repelled attacks of the infidels in the following towns and villages <…> Soledar, Sol, Krasna Hora, Bakhmut, Klishchiivka,” the statement reads.

On 17 January, Prigozhin reported about “intense battles” for Klishchiivka. His press service then said that Kyiv was controlling most of the village.

The Ukrainian army also said that an attack near Soledar was rebuffed. The Russian army continues its advance missions near Soledar, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Donetsk, the US Institute for the Study of War notes.

On 15 January, Russian President Vladimir Putin, when asked about the “news from Soledar”, said that everything is going according to the plans of the Defence Ministry and the General Staff.