Russia claims to have taken over Ukrainian settlement of Klishchiivka

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The Russian army took control of the Ukrainian settlement of Klishchiivka, an important strategic height, allowing Moscow to control transport routes, the Defense Ministry claimed on Wednesday.

"As a result of active actions, units of the Southern Group of Troops liberated the settlement of Klishchiivka in the Donetsk People's Republic," the ministry said in a statement.

In a separate statement, a Russian military official, Vitaly Ganchev, said Russia also took over 49 settlements in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, mostly small villages.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed on Tuesday that his nation's troops achieved "tangible results" in repelling Russia's offensive in the Kharkiv region, currently the scene of the most acute confrontation between the two countries.

On May 10, Ukraine's Defense Ministry announced the transfer of reserve units of its armed forces to the Volchansk direction in the Kharkiv region, while the local authorities ordered evacuation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that combat operations in Ukraine's Kharkiv region are aimed at establishing a "sanitary zone" - a buffer area from which Ukrainian strikes cannot reach Russian territory.