Russia claims it took control of 2 settlements in Ukraine's Donetsk, Kharkiv regions

Russia claimed on Tuesday that it took control of two more settlements amid its ongoing offensive in Ukraine's Donetsk and Kharkiv regions.

A statement by the Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces captured the village of Krutyi Yar, almost 13 kilometers (8 miles) east of the city of Pokrovsk, a major front in Moscow's ongoing offensive in the eastern Donetsk region.

According to the statement, Russian forces also took control of the village of Vyshneve, located about 37 kilometers (23 miles) southeast of the city of Kupiansk, which is a major front in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

Ukraine's General Staff claimed earlier in the day that it repelled 24 Russian attacks near multiple settlements in the Kupiansk front, including Vyshneve.

It also defined the situation around the Pokrovsk front as “the most tense.”

Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on Russia's recent claims, and independent verification of the claims is difficult due to the ongoing war.