ISTANBUL

Russia claimed on Tuesday that its forces continue to advance in Ukraine, including in the front line city of Myrnohrad in the eastern Donetsk region.

Addressing officers at a command post of the Centre group of forces, which are fighting in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov said forces took control of the southern part of Myrnohrad, which Moscow calls Dimitrov.

“This represents over 30% of the city's total buildings,” Gerasimov said in a video of the meeting published by the Defense Ministry, adding that the Russian army is advancing on “virtually all fronts.”

He said the current “primary objective” of Russian forces is to defeat Ukrainian troops “encircled” in Myrnohrad, according to a statement.

Last week, Russia claimed control over Pokrovsk, which serves as a critical logistics hub for Ukraine's military operations in the Donetsk region.

Kyiv has denied the claims of Pokrovsk's capture and the encirclement of its troops, asserting that they continue to hold the northern part of the city, about six kilometers (3.7 miles) west of Myrnohrad.

Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Thursday that they entered an “extremely difficult stage” in the defense of both cities.

In a separate statement, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its troops captured the settlement of Ostapivske in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Ukrainian authorities have yet to comment on Russia’s latest claims, and independent verification is difficult due to the war ongoing since February 2022.