Russia claims to have captured 3 more settlements in Ukraine

Russia said Tuesday that its forces captured three more settlements in eastern and southeastern Ukraine, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country’s forces struck a satellite communications center in the Moscow region.

In its daily battlefield update on Russian social media platform Max, the Defense Ministry said units of the Yug (South) military grouping had taken control of Malynivka in the Donetsk region, while the Vostok (East) grouping captured the settlements of Lisne and Rivne in the Zaporizhzhia region.

The ministry added that forces struck Ukrainian fuel and energy infrastructure, long-range drone storage and assembly sites, fuel depots and military equipment warehouses, as well as temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian forces and foreign fighters at 142 locations.

Russian air defense systems intercepted seven guided aerial bombs and 806 drones over the past 24 hours, while the Black Sea Fleet destroyed seven sea drones, according to the ministry.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said on Telegram that Ukrainian forces again struck the Dubna satellite communications center in the Moscow region, describing it as "a facility used for intelligence gathering and coordinating Russian military operations in Ukraine."

Zelenskyy said the site is located more than 500 km (310 miles) from the Ukrainian border and that the strike formed part of Kyiv's campaign of long-range attacks on military infrastructure inside Russia. He added that Ukraine is preparing similar operations against other such facilities.

Independent verification of the claims by both sides is difficult due to the ongoing conflict