Russian forces announced on Tuesday that they have captured another village in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. The Russian Defense Ministry reported the “liberation” of Pivdenne, located on the outskirts of Toretsk, a larger town that Russian troops have been advancing toward in recent months.
Prior to Russia’s full-scale military campaign beginning in 2022, Pivdenne had an estimated population of about 1,400, according to Ukrainian government figures.
In recent weeks, Moscow has claimed control over several small villages in the Donetsk region, each consisting of just a few streets. Despite announcing the annexation of Donetsk and three other regions in eastern and southern Ukraine in 2022, Russia has not fully taken control of these areas.
The latest push by Russian forces is focused on Toretsk, which previously housed around 30,000 residents. Pivdenne, also known by its former name Leninske, is situated approximately six kilometers (about four miles) southeast of Toretsk.
