MOSCOW: Russia’s defence ministry said on Saturday its forces had captured two more villages in eastern Ukraine, including one in the Dnipropetrovsk region where Moscow says its troops have begun to make advances.
Ukrainian forces made no acknowledgement that the villages had changed hands but reported heavy fighting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an assessment of the situation along the 1,000km (620 mile) front line, said the logistics hub of Pokrovsk remained the focal point of battles.