ISTANBUL

Russia claimed on Monday that it took control of another settlement in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region amid its ongoing offensive in the war-torn country’s east.

A statement by the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its forces captured the village of Kalynivske, situated about 29 kilometers (18 miles) west of the strategic town of Velyka Novosilka.

In January, Russia claimed to have seized Velyka Novosilka in the Donetsk region. The town lies near the junction of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

Kalynivske is located almost 10 km (6.2 mi) west of the tri-junction point, as well as nearly 4 km (2.5 mi) north of the administrative border between Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia.

Ukraine’s General Staff claimed in an earlier statement that Russian forces carried out 20 assaults near nine settlements in the Novopavlivka front over the past day, including the village of Novomykolaivka, which is located about 3 km (1.8 mi) southeast of Kalynivske and was claimed to be captured by Moscow last Friday.

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