Russia announced yesterday the capture of two villages in eastern Ukraine, where its forces have been advancing steadily for months.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that its southern group of forces had taken the village of Yantarne in the eastern Donetsk region, located around 10 kilometers (six miles) southwest of Kurakhove, a vital logistics hub that Moscow claimed to have seized last week.
On Saturday, Russia’s military also reported gaining new territory northwest of Kurakhove.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Defense confirmed that Russian troops had seized the village of Kalinove in the northeastern Kharkiv region. The village lies on the western bank of the Oskil River, which for some time served as the front line between the two armies in the area.
However, a Ukrainian official had stated Thursday that Russian forces had successfully established a bridgehead on the western bank after crossing the river. The Russian army has been attempting to cross the Oskil River for months, a river that also runs through Kupiansk, a city recaptured by Ukraine.
