Russia said on Monday its forces had taken control of the settlement

23/9/2025 12:13

Russia's Defence Ministry said on Monday its forces had taken control of the settlement of Kalynivske, just inside Ukraine's southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region.



But a Ukrainian military spokesperson was quoted as saying the Russian report was untrue and that Moscow's troops had made less progress in the region than they had reported. Ukraine's military says it is engaged in counterattack operations in part of Donetsk region, the focal point of the conflict.



Russian forces, engaged in a slow advance across eastern and central Ukraine, control a little less than 20% of Ukrainian territory and Moscow has annexed four regions it partly holds - Donetsk and Luhansk in the east, and Zaporizhzhia and Kherson further west.



It also says it has captured several villages inside Dnipropetrovsk region in recent weeks.



Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksiy Belskyi, quoted by the RBK Ukraine media outlet, said the Russian statements were exaggerated in Dnipropetrovsk region, which for Moscow remained a "secondary though still important sector".



Kalynivske, he said, was one of several settlements where Russian troops had briefly taken up positions and raised their flag but were driven out by Ukrainian forces. Russian forces controlled about five villages in the region, he said.