ISTANBUL

Russia claimed on Thursday that its forces took control of another settlement in Ukraine’s Donetsk region amid its ongoing offensives in the over three-and-a-half-year war.

According to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry, its forces have captured the village of Vasiukivka, which is located about 29 kilometers (18 miles) east of Kramatorsk, the administrative center of the eastern Ukrainian region, since Moscow captured Donetsk city in 2014.

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