Drones explode as they are being destroyed by Ukrainian air defence during mass night strike to Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on September 30, 2024, amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Russia said Monday (September 30, 2024) its forces had captured the east Ukrainian village of Nelipivka, advancing in an area of the frontline where Kyiv claimed to have gained ground earlier this month.

Moscow has made small but steady gains across the eastern front this year, pressing on even as Kyiv mounted a cross-border offensive into Russian territory.

The Russian Defence Ministry said in a daily briefing that its units had “actively liberated the village of Nelepovka,” using the Russian name for the village.

Nelipivka had a population of just under 1,000 people before the conflict began in 2022, according to official statistics.

It lies just north of the Ukrainian town of New York, where Kyiv claimed to have made rare gains earlier in September.

The Russian Army has captured dozens of Ukrainian towns and villages this year, many of them just a handful of abandoned streets, as Kyiv’s Army grapples with exhaustion and relentless Russian bombardment.

The main target of Moscow’s assault in recent months has been the Ukrainian logistics hub of Pokrovsk, a city that lies on road and rail routes that supply Kyiv’s forces across the frontline.

Earlier this week, Russian Army announced the capture of three villages in the east, southeast and northeast of Ukraine.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Russia on Sunday claimed its troops had captured a village in southern Ukraine, continuing its progress on the front line against a Ukrainian army lacking troops and ammunition.

“Units of the Eastern forces have liberated the settlement of Zagrine in the Zaporizhzhia region and occupied more favourable positions,” the Russian defence ministry said in its daily report.

The Russian army has been gaining ground for months in Ukraine, particularly in the east, without however achieving a real breakthrough.

Earlier this week, it announced the capture of three villages in the east, southeast and northeast of Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said this week that his troops had conquered nearly 880 square kilometres (340 square miles) of land since the start of the year.

Russia also launched an offensive in the Kharkiv region on May 10, seizing several localities before their advance was slowed by reinforcements sent in by Kyiv.

Ukrainian troops have been facing shortages of soldiers and ammunition for months, despite Western pledges of arms deliveries.