ISTANBUL

Russia claimed on Monday that it took control of another village in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region where intense clashes continue as part of the war that continue since 2022.

A statement by the Defense Ministry said forces captured the village of Molodetske, referred to in the statement by its old name of Lenine, about 19 kilometers (11.8 miles) west of the city of Pokrovsk, a key front in the eastern Ukrainian region.

Moscow has repeatedly asserted territorial gains in recent months, particularly in Donetsk, where fighting has intensified around Pokrovsk.

The front line city, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said "fierce battles" are taking place earlier this month, serves as a critical logistics hub for Ukraine’s military operations.

Ukraine’s General Staff claimed in a morning statement that its forces repelled 47 Russian assaults near 12 settlements in the Pokrovsk front over the past day, including Molodetske.