The Russian military said on Saturday that it had “not been evacuated” from the village of Andrivka in Ukraine, south of the devastated eastern town of Baghmut, contradicting an earlier announcement by Ukrainian civil servants.

“In the Donetsk sector, the enemy (…) carried out offensive operations (…) and tried in vain to dislodge Russian troops from Klichivka and Andryvka,” the ministry said. Russian Defense in its daily bulletin.

However, on Friday, the Ukrainian military said it had “liberated Andrivka in the Donetsk region”. According to this source, during “offensive operations” Kiev troops caused “significant losses to the enemy in terms of personnel and equipment.”

About fifty people before the war

After announcing the capture of Kiev this week and denying it before finally confirming it on Friday, the Russian denial sows some more confusion about the true situation in this very small pre-war village of about fifty people.

On Ukrainian television, Oleksandr Borodin, a spokesman for a brigade involved in the fighting there, said on Friday that Andreevka had been “completely destroyed” by the hostilities. “Andrivka is no more,” he insisted.

Charred trees, dilapidated houses

In a video posted by his brigade on Telegram on Saturday, claiming to show the capture of Andreyvka by the Ukrainian army, soldiers from Kiev are seen gradually advancing through an infernal environment, blinded by charred trees, ruined houses and smoke.

The fierce and bloody battle for Bagmouth, north of this small town, has been going on for more than a year. Moscow claimed to have captured the city, which was mostly destroyed by fighting and bombings.

Since early June, the Ukrainian army has been waging a slow counteroffensive aimed at pushing back Russian forces in the east and south, but it faces powerful defensive lines made up of trenches, mines and anti-tank traps.

The operation has so far only allowed the capture of a handful of villages, but the Ukrainian push has intensified in recent weeks, particularly in the southern part.