MOSCOW: Russia on Saturday claimed its forces had captured a village in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, as Moscow continues to advance slowly across the battlefield.
The Russian defence ministry reported that its troops had successfully “liberated the village of Sokil,” situated approximately 30 kilometers (18 miles) northwest of Donetsk city. Donetsk is the administrative capital of the Donetsk region, which Russia annexed in 2022.
The capture of Sokil underscores Moscow’s continued military campaign aimed at expanding its control over eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces have fiercely resisted Russian advances. The Donetsk region has become a focal point of the conflict, with intense fighting raging as Russian troops seek to dislodge Ukrainian defenders entrenched in key strategic positions.
Ukraine’s government in Kyiv has described the ongoing battles in Donetsk as some of the most ferocious across the entire front line. Ukrainian forces, facing significant challenges due to fatigue and lack of resources compared to their Russian counterparts, are fiercely defending their positions against the advancing Russian forces.
Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated Moscow’s stance on Friday, demanding that Ukraine completely withdraw its forces from Donetsk and three other regions in southern and eastern Ukraine if it wishes to achieve peace. This demand, however, has been firmly rejected by Ukrainian authorities, who view the regions as integral parts of Ukrainian territory.
Throughout this year, Russia’s military has reported modest but steady progress on the battlefield, gradually gaining ground against Ukrainian forces who have been stretched thin by the prolonged conflict. The conflict, which erupted in 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea and subsequent support for separatist movements in eastern Ukraine, has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions.
