Russia Claims Control of Three Villages Along Ukraine Frontline; Kyiv Disputes Key Capture

Russian forces have claimed control of three villages along different sections of the 1,000-km frontline in Ukraine, according to a statement issued by Moscow’s Defense Ministry on Thursday.

The settlements — Kamianske in the Zaporizhzhia region, Dehtiarne in Kharkiv, and Popiv Yar in Donetsk — lie across key battlegrounds of the ongoing war.

However, Ukraine contested parts of the Russian report, especially the claim regarding Kamianske, a strategic location near the regional capital of Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian military spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn said Ukrainian troops had pulled back from the village, which has been devastated by prolonged fighting. He emphasized that Russian forces were unable to maintain a presence there.

“The Russians cannot go into the village and hold it,” Voloshyn told liga.net. “There’s not a single wall standing — nothing left to take cover behind.”

There was no confirmation from Kyiv that Popiv Yar had fallen. The settlement, located northeast of Pokrovsk in Donetsk, remains in a contested “grey zone,” according to DeepState, a Ukrainian military blog. Ukrainian officials have also not commented on the status of Dehtiarne in the Kharkiv region.

The previous day, Russia had announced it had taken Novohatske, southwest of Pokrovsk. Ukrainian spokesperson Viktor Trehubov confirmed that the village had indeed been occupied by Russian forces.

Moscow continues its slow westward push, particularly in Donetsk, and frequently reports the capture of new territory. Russia currently occupies nearly 20% of Ukraine and claims to have annexed Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson — a claim Kyiv and its Western allies dismiss as illegal. Russia previously annexed Crimea in 2014, a move also internationally condemned.

Reuters could not independently verify battlefield claims made by either side.