MOSCOW: Russian forces said Tuesday they had captured another village in their offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
The defence ministry said Russia had “liberated” the village of Pivdenne, on the outskirts of Toretsk, a larger town which Russian forces have advanced towards in recent months.
Before Russia launched its full-scale military offensive in 2022, the village had a population of around 1,400, according to Ukrainian government estimates.
Moscow has claimed to have taken a string of villages in the Donetsk region in recent weeks – many consisting of just a few streets.
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Russia claimed to have annexed the Donetsk region – along with three others in eastern and southern Ukraine – in 2022, despite not fully controlling it.
Its forces have been closing in on Toretsk, a town that was once home to around 30,000 people, in its latest assault.
Pivdenne – which Russia referred to by its former name of Leninske – is around six kilometres (four miles) southeast of Toretsk.
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