ISTANBUL

Russia on Sunday claimed that its forces have taken control of two more settlements in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, where fighting has intensified in recent months.

According to a Defense Ministry statement on Telegram, Russian forces captured the village of Mykolaivka, located about 24 kilometers (15 miles) southeast of the city of Kramatorsk, the provisional seat of the region since Moscow seized control of Donetsk city in 2014.

The village lies just west of the front-line city of Chasiv Yar and about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) northeast of the industrial hub of Kostiantynivka, both of which have been key targets in Russia’s ongoing offensive.

The ministry also claimed that its forces seized the village of Myrne, located roughly 19 kilometers (11.8 miles) northwest of Velyka Novosilka — a town Moscow claimed to have taken on Jan. 27.

Myrne, which was referred to by its Soviet-era name Karl Marx in the statement, lies close to the administrative border between Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions, about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) from the boundary line.

Ukrainian officials have not yet publicly responded to the Russian claims. Independent verification remains difficult due to restricted access and ongoing hostilities in the region.