ISTANBUL

Russia claimed on Monday that its forces captured three settlements in Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.

The Defense Ministry said its troops took control of the village of Kruhle in the Kharkiv region, about 1.1 kilometers (0.6 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border.

It added that forces also captured the villages of Drobysheve and Riznykivka in the Donetsk region, which are near Kramatorsk.

Kramatorsk is one of Ukraine’s last strongholds in the eastern region and has served as the region’s administrative center since 2014.

Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment on the claims, and independent verification remains difficult due to the ongoing war, which has entered its fifth year.