Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces captured the village of Novopavlivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, adding to a series of battlefield claims made as fighting continues across the east. The statement was not independently verified in the Reuters dispatch.

Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, said heavy clashes were under way in the area, underscoring the contested nature of the front line and the difficulty of confirming control over villages and settlements in real time.

The latest claims come amid ongoing combat in eastern Ukraine, where both sides have continued to report gains, losses and intense artillery fire. As in other parts of the war, battlefield conditions make independent verification difficult and accounts from the two sides often differ.

Donetsk remains one of the war’s most heavily fought-over regions, with civilians continuing to face displacement, damage to infrastructure and persistent insecurity as the conflict grinds on.