Updated February 2nd, 2023 at 20:16 IST

Wagner chief claims Russian fighters took control of Sacco, Vanzetti village in DPR

The retired Lieutenant-Colonel of Lugansk also declared that with more villages and cities falling to Wagner, only 10 km is left to encircle Bakhmut.

Reported by: Zaini Majeed
IMAGE: Wagner/Telegram | Image:self
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Russia's shadowy mercenaries group Wagner private military company's Chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, on Thursday announced that his fighters have seized control of two key villages of Sacco and Vanzetti village making more territorial gains near Bakhmut, in Donetsk region. Wagner telegram channels shared the update, saying that the Russian fighters have successfully taken control of the villages located about 20 kilometers from Bakhmut. The channel also shared the image of its soldiers against the backdrop of an intact house waving its flag. "The photo shows the only surviving house in Sacco and Vanzetti," Wagner's press service on Telegram wrote. 

"At 4 pm today, February 1, 2023, full control of Sacco and Vanzetti has been seized by assault units of PMC Wagner," wagner chief Prigozhin also known as Putin's chef announced on Telegram official channel. 

Credit: Telegram/Wagner PMC channel

Retired pro-Russian Lieutenant-Colonel, Andrey Marochko, of the Lugansk People’s Republic has also declared that with more villages and cities falling to Wagner's fighters, they have only about 10 kilometers left for the total encirclement of Artyomovsk or Bakhmut. Wagner chief  Prigozhin said that the complete operational encirclement of Bakhmut  [known to Russians as Artyomovsk] "hasn’t been achieved yet."

Wagner attempted to cut Ukraine's military's supply routes

Denis Pushilin, the interim head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, meanwhile noted separately in a Telegram update that Russia's invading forces are attempting to cut Ukraine's military's supply routes and penetrate the Bakhmut as the fierce fighting is raging in the town’s outskirts. After the fall of the salt mine city of Soledar, the Russian troops and the volunteer fighters advanced inside the Sacco and Vanzetti, approximately 5 kilometers north of Soledar. Invading Russian troops managed to push back on the units of foreign mercenaries from the territory of the Ukrainian settlement.

The United States had earlier last week designated the Russian mercenaries as a “transnational criminal organization” imposing sanctions on its support network globally. 

“These actions recognise the transcontinental threat that Wagner poses, including through its ongoing pattern of serious criminal activity,” National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said speaking at a White House briefing. 

 

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Published February 2nd, 2023 at 20:16 IST