ISTANBUL

Russia on Thursday claimed that its forces took control of another settlement in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

According to a Russian Defense Ministry statement, the forces captured the village of Yarova, situated about 23 kilometers (14.3 miles) north of the city of Sloviansk.

Sloviansk is one of Ukraine’s last strongholds in the eastern region, other than Kramatorsk, the region’s administrative center, since Moscow captured Donetsk city in 2014.

Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on Russia’s claim, and independent verification of the claim is difficult due to the ongoing war, which entered its fifth year last month.