Russia Claims Capture of Five Villages; Ukraine Denies Control of Key City

Russia's Ministry of Defense announced Saturday that its forces have seized five villages in Ukraine's eastern regions, specifically four in Kharkiv and one in Donetsk. The ministry's daily briefing identified the captured settlements as Shyikivka, Novyi Myr, Cherneshchyna, and Druzhelyubivka in Kharkiv, along with Vasylivka in Donetsk.

However, these battlefield claims remain unverified by Reuters. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vehemently rejected Russia's assertion that its forces had taken control of Kostiantynivka, a city Moscow has long targeted in its push through the Donetsk region. Zelensky dismissed the claim as "another Russian lie" intended to create a false narrative.

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Of course, that is not true. It is just another Russian lie, an attempt to generate some kind of a news story.

"If Kostiantynivka were under Russian control, then perhaps (Russian President Vladimir) Putin would have no problem meeting me there to find a diplomatic way to finally end this war," Zelensky stated on X, challenging the veracity of the Russian report. The Ukrainian General Staff also confirmed that Ukraine still controls the strategically vital city.

Kostiantynivka is considered a linchpin in Ukraine's defense of the heavily industrialized Donetsk region, forming part of a defensive line with three other key settlements. Analysts believe its capture would grant Russian forces a crucial foothold to advance northward along this defensive belt, which is currently the primary objective of their offensive operations. Russia's military has previously reported controlling parts of Kostiantynivka, a city described as part of Ukraine's "fortress belt" in Donetsk.

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If Kostiantynivka were under Russian control, then perhaps (Russian President Vladimir) Putin would have no problem meeting me there to find a diplomatic way to finally end this war.