ISTANBUL

Russia claimed on Sunday that it took control of two more settlements in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and southeastern Zaporizhzhia regions.

A statement by the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its forces captured the village of Chunyshyne, situated about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) south of the city of Pokrovsk, a key front in the over three-and-a-half-year Ukraine war in the Donetsk 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 in the region.

The statement claimed that Russian forces also took control of the village of Poltavka, located about 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) northeast of the city of Huliaipole in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Ukraine’s General Staff claimed in a morning statement that Russian forces conducted 16 assaults near five settlements in the Oleksandrivka front, including Novohryhorivka, located about 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) north of Poltavka. Moscow claimed its forces captured Novohryhorivka on Oct. 8.

Ukrainian authorities have not immediately commented on Russia’s claims, and independent verification of the claims is difficult due to the ongoing war.