By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia claimed on Friday that it took control of two more villages in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region over the past week.
A statement by the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its forces captured the village of Pustynka, located about 13 kilometers (8 miles) south of the city of Pokrovsk, a major front in Moscow’s ongoing offensive in eastern Ukraine.
Russia has frequently reported gains in recent months as it continues its offensive in Donetsk, with the area around Pokrovsk seeing heightened activity.
The city serves as a key logistics hub for Ukraine’s army in the Donetsk region, which borders Russia.
The statement further claimed that Russian forces also took control of the village of Sukhi Yaly, located about 13 kilometers southwest of the city of Kurakhove, another key stronghold of Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk region that houses a thermal power plant.
Earlier, Ukraine’s General Staff claimed on Telegram that Russia carried out 37 assaults on Ukrainian positions near five settlements in the Vremivka front, including Sukhi Yaly.
However, Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on the recent claims, and independent verification of Russia’s claims is difficult due to the ongoing war, which started in February 2022.