The Russian army announced today that it has captured two villages located in key areas of the front - on the outskirts of the cities of Pokrovsk and Kurakhovo in eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainian troops are fighting to stop the Russian advance, France Press reported.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had captured Pustinka, about ten kilometers south of Pokrovsk, which is important for the logistics of the Ukrainian army and for its coke mine, an important fuel for the steel industry.
Further south, the Russian army said it had also captured the village of Suhi Yali, southwest of Kurakhovo, a town near a large deposit of the rare metal lithium.
Ukraine's army, which is suffering from a shortage of manpower and weapons, has been on the defensive for more than a year. Since the fall, it has been losing ground faster and faster, AFP notes.
Last month, the Russian army advanced over 725 sq. km in Ukrainian territory, which is its biggest progress within one month since March 2022. and the first weeks of its large-scale offensive, according to an AFP analysis on Monday based on data from the US Institute for the Study of War.
In October, Russian forces advanced 478 sq. km, which was the previous record.
Despite heavy losses, Russia has made the conquest of Donbass in eastern Ukraine its priority.
Difficulties facing the Ukrainian military, on the one hand, and uncertainty over US aid to Kiev with Donald Trump's imminent return to the White House, on the other, have revived speculation about possible peace talks.
For its part, Ukraine has called for increased Western support to put itself in a better position to negotiate a “just peace” in 2025
Russia, which has ruled out any concessions, is demanding that the Ukrainian army surrender, that Kiev abandon its ambitions to join NATO and agree to cede five of its regions. These demands are considered unacceptable by Kiev and its Western allies.