UPDATE - Kremlin spokesman claims Russia captured Ukrainian stronghold of Siversk

UPDATES WITH KREMLIN STATEMENT, ADDS INFORMATION

​​​​​​​By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin received a report on the complete capture of the Ukrainian town of Siversk by Russian forces.

Peskov said at a news conference in Moscow that Putin received the report at a meeting in Moscow with military chiefs.

The meeting focused on the general situation in the battle zone, he said. "It was also about the complete transfer of Siversk under our control. The president has received detailed reports on this issue."

The Kremlin later published a detailed statement about the meeting, specifying that the chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov informed Putin about the advancement in the battle zone.

Apart from taking Siversk under control, Gerasimov claimed that the settlements of Lyman, Kucherovka and Kurylovka in the Kharkiv region, Novodanylivka in the Zaporizhzhia and Rivne in the Donetsk region were captured.

"Assault units of the Southern Group of Forces are advancing with battles in the city of Kostiantynivka. 45 percent of the buildings in this settlement are under our control. The city of Siversk has been liberated," he was quoted in the statement.

Siversk is a strategic Ukrainian stronghold in the Donetsk region. Its capture is seen as a significant step, opening a direct route toward the key cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, which form a major defensive hub for Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donbas.

The Kremlin statement said the Commander of the Russian Southern group of forces, Sergey Medvedev, also present at the meeting, confirmed plans of moving in that direction.

"Formations and military units of the 3rd Army, conducting an offensive on the Siversk axis, have completed the liberation of the city of Siversk, thereby creating conditions for the further development of the offensive towards the settlement of Sloviansk," he said.

Ukraine has yet to comment on Russia's claims. Independent verification is challenging due to the conflict. ​​​​​​​