Russia on Friday claimed it had captured another village in its relentless offensive in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region and as it closes in on the critical Ukrainian logistics hub of Pokrovsk after almost three years of war.
The Russian claim that its forces took Novovasylivka could not be independently confirmed, and Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment.
However, battlefield maps published early Friday by the Ukrainian General Staff suggested the village was at least partly under Russian control. A comparison with other maps of the area by The Associated Press indicated Novovasylivka is largely under Russian control.
Russian forces have been trying for months to capture the key Donetsk strongholds of Pokrovsk and nearby Chasiv Yar, fighting their way across farm fields and woodland and engulfing small rural settlements.
The fall of Pokrovsk and Chasiv Yar could enable the Russian army to complete its hold on Donetsk and even set the stage for it to continue on into the neighboring Dnipro region.
The recent Russian push in the area has coincided with U.S. President Donald Trump taking office and repeating his pledge to end the war soon. That has prompted both Moscow and Kyiv to pursue battlefield gains that might give them an edge at the bargaining table.
The village of Novovasylivka is located around 11 kilometers (7 miles) southwest of Pokrovsk. Ukrainian officials have said Russia is attempting a pincer movement to surround Pokrovsk.
Pokrovsk is a key road and rail junction, furnishing supplies to a broad span of the front line. Chasiv Yar is a strategic hilltop.
Ukraine’s General Staff said Friday that Ukrainian troops had repelled 71 attacks by the Russian army toward Pokrovsk over the previous 24 hours, meaning that almost half of Russia’s attacks along the entire 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line occurred around Pokrovsk.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine