The Ministry of Defense announced the capture of two more quarters of Artemovsk under the control of the Russian Federation

Assault detachments took control of two more quarters of Artemovsk (Ukrainian name – Bakhmut) in the Donetsk direction in the zone of the NMD, reported Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

“In the Donetsk direction, assault detachments over the past day captured two quarters in the north-west and in the central part of the city of Artemovsk,” the daily report says.

The Airborne Forces, aviation and artillery of the Southern Group of Forces continue to pin down the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the flanks in this combat area, they noted. In total, enemy losses in this direction exceeded 270 military personnel and one tank per day, the Defense Ministry added.

In other directions, Russian forces continued to carry out artillery and air strikes against the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. So, in the Zaporizhia region, in the areas of the settlements of Novodanilovka and Novoandreevka, an ammunition depot and a hangar with weapons and military equipment of the 65th mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed. And in the Kherson direction, a US-made M777 howitzer, as well as Akatsiya and Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers, were hit.

Yesterday, April 16, the Ministry of Defense announced that Wagner assault detachments had taken control of two blocks in the northwestern and southeastern parts of Artemovsk. Formerly Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin declaredthat the detachments control more than 80% of the city. At the same time, it is too early to talk about the complete encirclement of Artemovsk, he specified.

The Russian special operation in Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, since the beginning of hostilities, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 407 aircraft and 228 helicopters. More than 3,760 drones were also shot down.