Russia claims control of 3 more settlements in Ukraine’s east

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia claimed on Friday that its forces had captured three more settlements amid its ongoing offensive in eastern Ukraine.

A Defense Ministry statement claimed Russian troops took control of Yablunivka​​​​​​​ in Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast, along with Komar and Koptevo in the Donetsk region, where fighting has recently intensified.

Moscow also said its forces conducted seven group strikes over the past week, targeting military airfields, radar stations, drone production facilities, and troop deployment points across Ukraine.

The infrastructure of military airfields, radar stations, drone production workshops and storage sites, and nationalist deployment points were damaged, the ministry claimed.

Ukraine’s military has not yet commented on the Russian claims, and independent verification remains difficult due to the ongoing conflict, now in its fourth year.