MOSCOW: Russia on Monday said its troops captured a “major” settlement in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, where Moscow’s forces are advancing even as Ukraine mounts its own armed incursion into Russian territory.

Russia’s defence ministry said it had “liberated” the town of Artemovo, which is called Zalizne in Ukraine, describing it as one of the area’s “major population centres”, located close to the towns of New York and Toretsk, which they are also trying to seize.

Zalizne had a population of around 5,000 at the start of 2022 – making it one of the largest places captured by Russian troops in recent weeks.

Ukraine says it has destroyed another bridge in Russia’s Kursk region

Moscow says it has captured a string of smaller settlements – some no more than a single street and handful of destroyed buildings – in a grinding advance in the eastern Donetsk region.

It was one of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claimed to have annexed in 2022, despite not having full control over any of them.

The region has seen the most intense combat of the two-and-a-half year conflict.

Kyiv has struggled to hold the front line there, facing manpower and ammunition shortages after months of attritional fighting.