Russia says it has captured a building near the key city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine By Reuters

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s defense ministry said on Saturday the army had regained control of the Shevchenko settlement, near the Pokrovsk logistics center, a key Russian target ahead of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. .

The Ukrainian army did not mention the city in the latest report of the first operation, but said that Russia launched more than 50 attacks against its army positions near Pokrovsk in the last 24 hours.

A Russian military report said the “decisive action” of its forces culminated in the capture of Shevchenko, about 3 km (2 miles) west of Pokrovsk.

The report also said that Russian forces launched attacks by aircraft, drones and missiles on Ukrainian military airfields and military facilities.

The report did not provide further details about the attacks.

Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces had repelled 46 of 56 Russian attacks around a dozen towns in the Pokrovsk region. Ten conflicts were still going on.

The governor of the part of Donetsk region that was held by Ukrainian forces, Vadym Filashkin, said that one resident was killed and four were injured when the village north of Pokrovsk was attacked by Russia. .

Russian forces have been steadily advancing in the Donetsk region for several months, marking their fastest advance since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia’s RIA news agency issued its first report from one of its correspondents from Kurakhove, an outpost south of Pokrovsk.

The Russian military announced the capture of Kurakhove earlier this week.

Ukraine has not yet acknowledged the loss of the city, but the popular Ukrainian blog DeepState, which compiles information from open sources, said the city is in Russian hands.