ISTANBUL

Russia claimed on Tuesday that it took control of two villages in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and southeastern Zaporizhzhia regions amid its ongoing offensive in the war-torn country.

A statement by the country’s Defense Ministry claimed that its forces in the Donetsk region took control of the village of Fedorivka, situated about 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) south of the city of Siversk, a key front in the region.

The statement further claimed that its forces in the Zaporizhzhia region captured the village of Novovasylivske, located about 31 kilometers (19.2 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.

Novovasylivske is about 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) southwest of the tri-junction point, and about 5.5 kilometers (3.4 miles) from the administrative border between the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

Earlier, Ukraine’s General Staff claimed that 20 clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces took place on the Siversk front over the past day.

However, Ukrainian authorities have yet to comment on Russia’s claims, and independent verification of the claims is difficult due to the ongoing three-and-a-half-year war.