Russia said on Friday it had captured four more villages in eastern Ukraine, the latest gains of costly meter-for-meter battles as the war enters its fourth winter.
The Russian army said it had taken control of Bolohivka in the Kharkiv region, Dronivka and Promin in the Donetsk region, and Pershotravneve in the Dnipropetrovsk region. The frontline settlements are largely devastated by the heavy, prolonged fighting, usually with very few inhabitants left.
In Pershotravneve, Moscow’s forces have made a four-kilometer leap, which may indicate a faster than usual advance in a region largely spared from intensive ground fighting.
However, the Ukrainian army said the tactic serves to paralyze supply lines and to swiftly declare presence in settlements by planting a flag there.
