ISTANBUL 

Russia claimed on Tuesday that it took control of another settlement in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

A statement by the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its forces captured the village of Ivanopillya, situated about 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) southeast of the industrial city of Kostiantynivka, a key front in the Donetsk region.

The city is about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) south of the city of Kramatorsk, the administrative center of the eastern Ukrainian region since Moscow captured Donetsk city in 2014.

Earlier, Ukraine's General Staff claimed its forces repelled 24 Russian assaults near nine settlements in the Kostiantynivka front, including Kostiantynivka itself.

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