The head of Russias Wagner Group on Friday said that his fighters had caught a village near Ukraines eastern city of Bakhmut, the scene of fierce combating in between the two sides for months.Berkhivka is completely under our control, Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a declaration launched by his press service on the 1 year anniversary of Moscows offensive in Ukraine.AFP might not immediately validate the claim.Moscow has actually been battling to take Bakhmut for months, with the battle exposing stress between the Wagner paramilitary group and Russias army, though the Kremlin rejects any rift.The embattled city has actually become an essential political and symbolic prize and the defend it is now the longest-running battle of Russias year-long offensive.

Recording Bakhmut would be a significant win for Moscow, experts say its capture would be generally symbolic as the city holds little tactical worth.