By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia claimed on Monday that it took control of two more settlements in eastern Ukraine.
A statement by the Defense Ministry said its forces captured the village of Shevchenko, located almost eight kilometers (five miles) south of the city of Pokrovsk, a key front in Moscow's offensive in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow had initially claimed control of Shevchenko on Jan. 11.
Russia has frequently claimed territorial gains in recent months, particularly in the Donetsk region, where fighting has intensified around Pokrovsk.
The city serves as a critical logistics hub for Ukraine's military in the region, which shares a border with Russia.
The statement also said that Russian forces took control of the village of Novoiehorivka, located about 48 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of the city of Kupiansk in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
Despite its close proximity to the Kharkiv region, Novoiehorivka is situated within Ukraine's easternmost Luhansk region.
Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces repelled 106 Russian attacks near settlements in the Lyman and Pokrovsk fronts over the past 24 hours, including Shevchenko and Novoiehorivka.
Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on Russia’s recent claims, and independent verification of the claims is difficult due to the ongoing war that Moscow launched on Kyiv in February 2022.