Russia said today it had captured the village of Zoryane in eastern Ukraine, with its troops also closing in on the industrial city of Kurakovo, west of the city of Donetsk, which is already under Russian control.

“The Zoriane community (…) was liberated” thanks to “the successful actions” of the Moscow forces, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced in a press release.

The Russian ministry had claimed on October 8 that it had first captured this community, which is located about 10 kilometers from Kurakovo, but fighting had continued in the area in recent days.

The Russian military intends to press Ukrainian forces in the direction of Kurakovo, continuing its offensive towards Pokrovsk, a major road and rail hub for Kiev’s troops, located further north in the Donetsk region.

At the same time, Russian troops have stepped up attacks in southern Ukraine, in the Zaporizhia region, in recent days.

At the same time, a Russian attack with explosive drones and guided bombs resulted, on the night of Friday into Saturday, injuring seven people in the Sumy region (north), according to the regional administration, which specified that “energy infrastructure suffered damages”.