Russia 'Sharply' Increases Fighting South of Donetsk as Wagner Touts Gains

Fighting in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region has recently ramped up, a local Russian-installed official said on Friday as the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary unit, touts progress in the Donetsk region.

Vladimir Rogov wrote in a Telegram post that Russian forces had captured a village about 50 kilometers, or roughly 31 miles, from the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia, The Moscow Times reported. Rogov added that Russian forces had used tanks, mortar and artillery to fire at a dozen regional villages in the city.

"In the direction of Zaporizhzhia, the intensity of military activity has sharply increased," Rogov wrote.

The reported ramped up fighting in Zaporizhzhia came as Russian and Wagner Group forces claim to be making gains in Eastern Donetsk, where Russia has been conducting a monthslong and grinding fight to capture the Ukrainian-controlled city of Bakhmut. The Wagner Group's chief, Russian President Vladimir Putin's ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced Thursday on Telegram that his forces had taken full control of the village of Klishchiivka just south of Bakhmut.

Prigozhin added that "fierce fighting" is still taking place around the village, and that Ukraine "clings to every meter of the earth."

He also complimented the resistance of Ukrainian troops against Russian attacks, saying the Ukrainian army "works clearly and harmoniously," and his own forces "have a lot to learn from them."

"But in any case, Wagner PMC [private military company] units are moving forward meter by meter," Prigozhin said. "The settlement of [Bakhmut] will be taken."

Meanwhile, the Wagner Group and the Russian Defense Ministry said last week they had fully taken control of Soledar, a small salt-mining town several miles from Bakhmut. The Biden administration has pushed back on Russia's assertions that it now fully controls Soledar. During a telephone briefing earlier this week, John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House, said that "we do not assess that [the Russians] have actually unilaterally taken both cities," referring to Soledar and Bakhmut.

In Zaporizhzhia, Rogov's update on the intensified military activity appears to be in line with the latest operational update from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The General Staff wrote on Facebook on Friday that the "opponent," meaning Russia, took "offensive actions" in the direction of Zaporizhzhia, Bakhmut, and Avdiivka.

Later in the update, the General Staff mentioned "tank, mortar and artillery fire" in the Zaporizhzhia direction, and added that Russia was strengthening "regime measures" in parts of the region that it currently occupies.

"In particular, the city of Melitopol has announced a ban on crossing roadblocks around the settlement from March 1 without special passes, which can be obtained in the so-called commandant's office only after providing their personal data," the update said.

Russia captured the city of Melitopol days after the war began on February 24, 2022, and has controlled it ever since.

Newsweek reached out to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Russia's Defense Ministry for comment.