Russia’s Defence Ministry has announced that its forces have taken control of two more settlements in Donetsk region, intensifying fighting along the 1,000-km front line in eastern Ukraine.

The ministry named the newly captured villages as Kleban-Byk, located northwest of the town of Toretsk, and Seredne, near the administrative border of Kharkiv region. Toretsk has been under sustained Russian attack for several months.

Conflicting Claims

Ukraine’s military, however, did not confirm the loss of any villages. Instead, it reported that its forces had retaken the settlement of Zelenyi Hai, situated near the border of Dnipropetrovsk region, though it remains under renewed Russian assault.

Kyiv’s General Staff acknowledged heavy fighting in Katerynivka, one of the villages Russia earlier claimed to have captured, but stopped short of confirming its fall.

Reuters said it could not independently verify battlefield reports from either side.

Context of the Fighting

Moscow has shifted its focus to the Donbas region—comprising Donetsk and Luhansk—after failing to seize Kyiv in the early weeks of its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The capture of smaller settlements is part of Russia’s slow, grinding advance in the east.

Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence agency said it conducted joint operations with frontline units to block further Russian advances in Donetsk and prevent breakthroughs into Dnipropetrovsk region.

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