Ukraine war: Moscow creeps towards Bakhmut, Russian 'propaganda institutions', nuclear treaty woes

Russia claimed on Tuesday it had captured the village of Blagodatne, just north of Bakhmout in eastern Ukraine. 

Ukraine and Russia have waged a vicious battle for several weeks to control the city, which Moscow frames as key to seizing the prized Donbas region. 

In its daily briefing, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed "Blagodatne had been liberated" after an offensive by "volunteer assault units", who were supported by planes and artillery.

Russia uses the term volunteer as a byword for paramilitary forces, such as Wagner Group, operating in Ukraine. 

Evguéni Prigojine, boss of the infamous mercenary force, claimed his men had captured the village on Saturday, though this was denied by Kyiv. 

The Russian army and Wagner have tried to take Bakhmout, a city of 70,000 inhabitants before the conflict, since summer -- so far without success. 

For several weeks, Moscow's soldiers have intensified their offensive to encircle the city, taking the town of Soledar in January. 

But the fighting has come at a heavy price, with both sides suffering heavy losses. 

Lithuania's foreign minister on Tuesday urged EU countries not to host Russian ambassadors, amid heightened diplomatic tensions between the Baltic states and Moscow.

"There is no point in having... an ambassador from Russia in a European capital," Gabrielius Landsbergis told reporters in Riga. 

“In most cases, it is no longer a diplomatic institution, it is a propaganda institution, covering up war crimes and generally promoting a genocidal agenda,” he insisted.

Lithuania expelled its Russian ambassador in April 2022, following the discovery of mass civilian graves in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.

Ukraine's western allies have described these discoveries as evidence of war crimes,