Russia says it captures two villages

Russian forces have taken control of the two villages in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, citing the Russian Defence Ministry.



The ministry report on Telegram said Russian forces had seized Vasyutinske, a few kilometers east of the "fortress city" of Kramatorsk, and Toretsk, southwest of the city of Druzhkivka.



Ukrainian forces made no acknowledgement of the two settlements changing hands and Reuters could not verify the battlefield reports independently.



Russia is slowly advancing westward through Donetsk region, though there has been little significant change for months in the positions along the 1,200-km frontline.



The Ukrainian war blog DeepState, which uses open source reports in documenting the frontline positions of both sides, reported that Russian forces had made advances near Illinivka .



It also reported Russian advances near Chasiv Yar, to the west of the city of Bakhmut, which fell to Russian forces in 2023 after long months of heavy fighting.