Russian Troops Seize 2 Settlements On Ukraine's Donetsk Frontline

JAKARTA - Russian troops now control two frontline settlements in the eastern region of Donetsk, Ukraine. This claim was conveyed by Russia after the fierce military fighting between the two countries.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Russian forces seized the village of Zelenie Pole located between Pokrovsk, the focal point of Russia's attack on the region, and Velyuka Novosilka, a settlement they said the Russian military had taken over late last month.

According to Russian reports, Dachne village, west of the city of Kurakhove, was also seized last month. The region has been experiencing fierce fighting for weeks.

As reported by Reuters on Saturday, February 15, Ukrainian military staff said the two villages were among the 11 settlements targeted by the Russian attack on the Pokrovsk sector. However, it was not stated that the region was under Russian control.

Ukraine's DeepState military blog, which tracks the frontline position based on open source reports, said this week Russian troops had made progress near Zelenie Pole and Dachne.

Russian troops failed in their early efforts to reach Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, after the February 2022 invasion and have since concentrated on seizing Donbas, which consists of eastern Donetsk and Luhansk.

Russia has made stable progress in the Donetsk region for months, taking control of many villages.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday praised the "good success" of a regiment based near Pokrovsk, without specifying where the operation was carried out.