Russia claims to have captured villages in strategic areas of eastern Ukraine

Russian forces claim to have conquered two key villages in the Donetsk region.

Russia claimed on Sunday to have conquered villages in two strategic sectors of the front in eastern Ukraine, approaching in particular Pokrovsk, an important city for the logistics of the Ukrainian army.

Moscow's forces have ” released “ the village of Vesely Gai, south of the industrial town of Kurakhové, and that of Pushkin, south of Pokrovsk, both in the Donetsk region, said the Russian Defense Ministry.

The Russians have accelerated their incursion into this region, a target for months.

They seized more Ukrainian territory last November than in any other month since March 2022, according to an AFP analysis based on data from the Institute for the Study of War based in the United States.

The Ukrainian force grouping in Khortytsia reported on Sunday “exhausting confrontations” ongoing in the surrounding area and in the town of Kourakhové, as well as further north in the town of Tchassiv Yar, perched on a hill and taken by storm.

“The situation is complex and changing. Our troops are currently organizing themselves to improve the tactical situation”commented on this military group on the Telegram network.