The Russian army said it had captured the village of Pivden in the Ukrainian Donetsk region, reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
Pivden is located about 6 km southeast of the city of Toretsk, a Ukrainian fortress and coal mining town that Russia began advancing on in June.
A statement from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army, released tonight, said that in the past 24 hours, Russian forces had attempted to break through the Ukrainian defenses near Pokrovsk 15 times. The text does not mention anything about the village of Pivden, notes Reuters.
Ukrainian military bloggers strongly rejected suggestions that Russian troops may have made their way into Toretsk, but said there was heavy fighting in the areas surrounding the city.
Data from the Ukrainian authorities indicate that before the war, the population of Pivden amounted to 1,404 people, and the inhabitants of Toretsk were about 30,000.
Russia's advance on Toretsk has sparked some of the fiercest fighting in the Donetsk region. At the same time, Russian military units are moving towards the Ukrainian transport center Pokrovsk, which is located about 70 km west of Toretsk. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Army has registered Russian 40 attacks on Russia in the Pokrovsk sector.
The Russian army said on Sunday it had captured two villages on the approaches to Pokrovsk - Progress and Evgeniyevka, Reuters notes.
Meanwhile, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky inspected the fortifications and defensive positions of the Ukrainian army along the border with Belarus, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
A statement from the office of the Ukrainian head of state said that during his visit on Tuesday to the northwestern Volyn region, Zelensky was accompanied by senior military personnel. "The head of the State Border Guard Service, Sergiy Deineko, reports on border guarding, including the number of deployed military personnel, their capacity and weapons,", the text reads.
The Ukrainian president personally got acquainted with the construction of fortifications, trenches and shelters. "We have a strong defense, both in terms of personnel and defensive lines," Zelensky said.
In recent months, the Ukrainian army has significantly strengthened its border defenses with Belarus, prompting Minsk to deploy additional forces to the area.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko recently declared that the border crisis was over and ordered the withdrawal of additional military forces.
Belarus is Russia's closest ally directly involved in the war in Ukraine. At the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, Minsk allowed Russian units to invade Ukraine from Belarusian territory, DPA recalls.
Last night it became clear that Bondo Gagnidze, a Georgian fighter, died in combat in Ukraine, Ukrinform reported, quoted by BTA.
According to "Echo of the Caucasus" and SO his death was confirmed by his friend Vano Nadiradze, who also fought on the side of Ukraine.
Forty-seven-year-old Gagnidze enlisted in the Ukrainian army immediately after the start of Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine in February 2022. He served in the 67th Brigade.
According to the available information, Bondo Gagnidze received a fatal bullet wound during a massive attack by Russian troops in the Luhansk region. According to his comrades in arms, his body is still on the battlefield.
According to media reports, Bondo Gagnidze is the 69th Georgian soldier killed in the war in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, Zurab Yashvili, a Georgian volunteer, was killed fighting on the side of Ukraine against the Russian invaders.