MOSCOW: Russia’s army said Wednesday its forces had captured another village in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, where it is advancing even as Kyiv mounts a major counterattack into Russian territory.

In a daily briefing, the defence ministry said Russian troops had captured the village of Zhelanne, which lies between the cities of Donetsk and Pokrovsk, a section of the frontline which is seeing some of the heaviest fighting of the 2.5-year conflict.

Russia says it has captured a string of towns and villages in the Donetsk region in recent weeks.

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On Tuesday it said its forces seized the key logistics hub of New York, around 30 kilometres (18 miles) to the east of Zhelanne.

Russia’s troops are advancing on the strategic hub of Pokrovsk, where officials earlier this week ordered families with children to evacuate the city.

Zhelanne lies some 20 kilometres (12 miles) to the southeast, in the industrial Donetsk region.

Kyiv might have hoped its shock border incursion into Russia’s western Kursk region, now in its third week, would force Moscow to divert troops from other parts of the frontline.

But so far there has been little sign fighting on the frontlines in Ukraine’s east has subsided.