MOSCOW: Russia said Sunday its military had advanced further in east Ukraine, capturing a frontline village just a few kilometres north of a key Ukrainian-held industrial hub.
Moscow has made steady gains on the battlefield for months, pressing their advantage against overstretched and outmanned Ukrainian forces.
Russian army units “liberated the settlement of Izmailovka,” the Russian defence ministry said in a daily briefing, using the Russian spelling for the village.
Izmailivka had a population of just under 200 people before the conflict.
It lies eight kilometres (five miles) north of the key industrial hub of Kurakhove and just a few kilometres north of Kurakhivka, a small town on a stretch of frontline Moscow is trying to surround.
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The announcement came a few hours after Russia claimed it shot down 51 Ukrainian drones above several of its regions, including near the border.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Sunday that Moscow would “respond” if the West allowed Ukraine to use longer-range weapons against his territory.
“It’s too early to say yet, but of course our military department is thinking about it and will offer various responses,” Putin told a state TV reporter in remarks aired Sunday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has for months been asking his Western allies for permission to use long-range missiles against targets deep inside Russian territory, arguing the move would “motivate” Moscow to seek peace.
The United States and Britain signalled a decision on the matter was imminent last month, but later delayed the move after Putin warned they risked putting NATO “at war” with Moscow.
Putin said on Sunday he hoped the West had listened to that warning.
“They didn’t tell me anything about it, but I hope they heard,” the Russian leader said.
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