Russia claims to capture 3 settlements in 2 Ukrainian regions

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Saturday that three Ukrainian settlements went under its control in two Ukrainian regions.

The units of the Zapad (West) group of forces took control of the settlement of Derilovo in the Donetsk region, the ministry said in a statement.

In the other directions, units of the Yug (South) group of forces captured the settlement of Maiske in the same region, while the units of the Vostok (east) group captured Stepove in the Dnipropetrovsk region, the ministry claimed.

It also reported carrying out strikes on facilities used for supplying weapons and military equipment to combat zones in Donbas, storage and launch sites for long-range drones, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 138 districts.

The Russian ministry also said Ukraine responded with air raids, adding that over the past day, the Russian air defense systems shot down two guided aviation bombs and 131 aircraft-type drones.