On Saturday, August 23, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the Russian military had seized four settlements along a 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Russian military’s control in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine continues to expand.
The Russian forces reportedly captured two villages, Katerynivka and Rusyn Yar, near the besieged city of Kostiantynivka on Friday, August 22.
The following day, on August 23, Russia declared control over two more villages, including Kleban-Byk near the town of Toretsk which has been under continuous attack for months, and Seredne near the administrative boundary of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine.
However, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has not acknowledged any villages changing hands, with the Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff only stating that Katerynivka is one of several locations attacked by enemy forces.
The Ukrainian military also announced the recapture of the settlement of Zelenyi Hai, located further west near the border of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, from Russian forces. The statement noted that the village is now facing new attacks by the Russian military.
Russia claims progress in the Zelenyi Hai village.
Epoch Times is unable to independently verify the battlefield reports from both sides.
During the initial stage of Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022, Russia attempted to quickly capture the capital city of Kyiv but failed. Subsequently, the focus of the conflict shifted to the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, including Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, as Russia sought to seize and control this area.
Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Directorate (HUR) stated that they have collaborated with operational units to repel Russian offensives in Donetsk Oblast and prevent Russian forces from breaking through to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
(This article references a report by Reuters)