JAKARTA - Russia's defense ministry said its forces had taken control of Pivdenne settlements in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
Reported by Reuters on Tuesday, July 30, Pivdenne, known as Russia under the Soviet era of Leninskoe, borders Toretsk, a coal mining town and a Ukrainian fort that Russia began invasing in June.
In 2022, Ukrainian authorities estimate the Pivdenne population before the war to be 1,404 people, and the Toretsk population to be around 30,000.
The cities have been close to the frontline since 2014, when Russian-backed troops seized parts of the Donetsk region, including the town of Horlivka, 12 km (7 miles) from Pivdenne.
Russia's push towards Toretsk is one of the most active combat zones in the Donetsk region, with Moscow troops also moving towards Pokrovsk, Ukraine's main transportation hub located about 70 km (43 miles) west of Toretsk.
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Moscow said on Sunday, July 28, its troops had seized two villages, Prohres and Yevhenivka, near Pokrovsk.
Russia said it annexed the Donetsk region, along with three other Ukrainian provinces, in September 2022, and Kyiv had to vacate the region as a prerequisite for peace negotiations.
Kyiv said it plans to forcibly return the four areas and expel any Russian army from its territory.
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