MOSCOW

Russia claimed on Sunday that its forces had captured the settlement of Tsvitkove in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region.

The Defense Ministry said in a statement that units of the Vostok (East) group of forces continued their advance after capturing the village.

Separately, Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov said the Russian army established control over 12 settlements in the first half of February.

On an unannounced visit to inspect the group of forces Tsentr (Center) in a combat zone, Gerasimov said that over the same period, more than 200 square kilometers (77.2 square miles) of Ukraine's territory came under Russian control.

In another development, Ukraine's railway company Ukrzaliznytsia accused Russia of striking railway infrastructure in the Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

In Odesa, buildings on the territory of a depot were damaged by the attack. A large fire broke out in the area when a tank car caught fire, the company said.

"There were no casualties. The damage did not affect train traffic," it added.

In the same region, it added, critical infrastructure and some consumers were left without power.

Independent verification of the claims is challenging due to the ongoing conflict.