Russia Seizes Another Village in Ukraine

Russian forces announced on Tuesday that they had captured another village as part of their offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

According to the defense ministry, Russia “liberated” the village of Pivdenne, located on the outskirts of Toretsk, a larger town that Russian forces have been advancing towards in recent months.

Before the full-scale military offensive launched by Russia in 2022, Pivdenne had an estimated population of around 1,400, according to Ukrainian government figures.

In recent weeks, Moscow has claimed control over several villages in the Donetsk region, many of which are small and consist of just a few streets.

Russia asserted in 2022 that it had annexed the Donetsk region, along with three other regions in eastern and southern Ukraine, despite not fully controlling these areas. Russian forces have been moving closer to Toretsk, a town that had approximately 30,000 residents, as part of their latest assault.

Pivdenne, which Russia referred to by its former name of Leninske, is located about six kilometers (four miles) southeast of Toretsk.