ISTANBUL 

Russia claimed on Wednesday that its forces had taken control of the village of Stepanivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region and the village of Staroukrainka in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that units of the Yuzhnoy troop group seized Stepanivka “as a result of active operations,” while forces from the Vostok troop group advanced deeper into Ukrainian defenses and captured Staroukrainka.

The villages are located near active front-line areas in eastern and southeastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian authorities have yet to comment on the claims, and independent verification remains difficult due to the ongoing war, now approaching its fifth year.