By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia claimed on Monday that its troops took control of two villages in Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.
A statement by the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its troops in the northeastern Kharkiv region captured the village of Ivanivka, located about 33 kilometers (20.5 miles) from the city of Kupiansk, a point of major clashes in the over two-year-long Russia-Ukraine war.
Indicating that the same forces took “more advantageous positions” in the area, the statement further said Russian troops also captured the village of Netailove in the eastern Donetsk region.
Netailove is about 22 kilometers (13.6 miles) west of the city of Avdiivka, a major transportation and logistics hub near the city of Donetsk that went under Russia's control in February.
Ukraine’s General Staff said clashes between its troops and Russian forces in the direction of Pokrovsk are ongoing near multiple settlements, including Netailove.
Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on the claims regarding the two villages, and independent verification of Russia’s claims is difficult due to the ongoing war.
On May 10, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Russian forces attempted to breach the country’s defenses in the Kharkiv region, opening a new front in the over two-year-long conflict that was hitherto concentrated in the country’s east and south.
Clashes in the region have intensified since then, particularly near Vovchansk, located about 74 kilometers (45 miles) from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.
Russia claims to have seized control of multiple border settlements since the start of its offensive on the Kharkiv front, as well as other fronts including Donetsk.