Jan 28,2023:Ukrainian troops were locked in a “fierce” confrontation with Russian fighters Friday for control of the town of Vuhledar, southwest of Donetsk, as the two sides battle along the southern front. Meanwhile, at least three were killed after Russian forces struck a neighbourhood in Kostiantynivka, also in Donetsk Oblast, on Saturday, the regional governor said.
Both sides claimed success in the small administrative centre of apartment blocks surrounded by flat fields, a short distance from the strategic prize of the village of Pavlivka.
“The encirclement and subsequent liberation of this city solves many problems,” said Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-appointed leader of the Donetsk region.
“Soon, Vuhledar may become a new, very important success for us,” he was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.
But Kyiv said the town, which had a pre-invasion population of around 15,000 people, remained contested.
“There is fierce combat there,” Ukrainian military spokesman Sergiy Cherevaty told local media.
