Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed on Tuesday that the small riverside village of Krynki, located on the left bank of the Dnipro River in Ukraine's southern Kherson region, is “completely” under Russian control at the moment.
Shoigu described Kryinki as a “stronghold” for his forces “for further advance and deployment of forces.”
The Ukrainian Operations Command denied Shoigu's claim, calling it “manipulation and falsification of facts.”
The command said: “The defense forces in southern Ukraine continue to cling to their positions, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy.”
A video shared by pro-Ukrainian bloggers shows Russian soldiers raising the flag in the area and then fleeing, which appears to contradict Shoigu's claim. CNN was unable to geolocate the footage and independently verify the status of the battlefield.
In the fall, Russian officials expressed concern About Ukraine's establishment of a foothold in Kryinky.
Elsewhere on the battlefield: In eastern Ukraine, footage identified by CNN on Wednesday showed Russian forces raising their flag over the village of Pobeda in Donetsk, near Marinka. Russian military bloggers said Ukrainian forces had “retreated” and regrouped in positions in the south.
In southern Ukraine along the Zaporizhzhya Front, Moscow has been advancing for weeks east and north towards Robotyn, as well as west towards Mala Tokmachka.
Russia claimed on Wednesday that it had inflicted heavy losses on Ukrainian forces in the region, but refrained from saying that it had achieved clear gains. Ukraine also claimed to have inflicted heavy casualties on Russian units.
CNN was unable to independently verify the Ukrainian or Russian allegations.
This post has been updated with more details from the battlefields of Ukraine.
