Russia declares control over two villages in eastern Ukraine

Russia announced on Monday that its forces gained control over two new villages in eastern Ukraine, one in the Donetsk region and the other in the Kharkiv region in the northeastern part of the country.

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated in its daily report that the forces "liberated the village of Netailove in the Donetsk region" and "Ivanivka in the Kharkiv region."

The Russian advance in the Kharkiv region is the most significant in 18 months, according to calculations by Agence France-Presse of the territories seized by Russian forces.

Kyiv hurried to send reinforcements to the region, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that it could be the first wave of a Russian summer offensive.

AFP