“The fighters of the Wagner group have come out on the Artyomovsk-Chasov Yar highway, which was used to supply the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Gagin reported on his Telegram channel on Friday.

According to the official, “Russian units control several hundred meters (of highway) and that makes it impossible to supply the Ukrainian garrison, (fully encircling the enemy)”, the official said. On April 18th, Gagin stated that Russian troops already controlled nearly 90 percent of the Artyomovsk territory.

The spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, Major General Igor Konashenkov, reported that the Russian forces had frustrated the Ukrainian counterattacks, both in this city and in others in Donetsk.

Artyomovsk is located 55 kilometers northeast of Donetsk and is an important logistics hub that supplies Ukrainian troops in the Donbas region. During seven months, the troops of Ukraine and Russia have been engaged in heavy fighting for the city.

jrr/llp/jcm/gfa