Putin says Russia has taken control of village in Ukraine’s Kherson region

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday said that his country’s military has taken control of the village of Krynky in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.

“(Russian Airborne Forces commander) Mikhail Yuryevich (Teplinsky) reported that this settlement (Krynky) on the left bank of the Dnieper (River) is practically … under our control,” Putin said during a meeting with Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu.

Putin’s remarks, which Kyiv has not yet commented on, came after Ukraine announced its withdrawal from the front-line city of Avdiivka to “avoid encirclement” and save the lives of its soldiers on Saturday. Russia said it took control of the city later in the day.

“I believe this (withdrawal) was done for political reasons – to cover up a retreat and make it look like an organized withdrawal,” he said.

Putin hailed the overall situation in Avdiivka as an “unconditional success,” saying that this needs to be developed further in a well-prepared manner secured with personnel, weapons, equipment and ammunition.

Rebuffing Western claims that Moscow intends to deploy nuclear weapons in outer space, he said Russian is categorically opposed to this idea.

“On the contrary, we call for compliance not only with all agreements that exist in this area, but also proposed to greatly strengthen this joint work,” he added.

Putin also reiterated that Russia is not against negotiations with Ukraine and that Moscow did not interrupt dialogue with Kyiv, saying: “It was the Ukrainian side that interrupted the dialogue and on a direct command from London and Washington.”