Russia’s defence ministry said on Saturday that its forces had taken control of the village of Kurtovka in the eastern Donetsk region, the latest in a series of claimed frontline gains as Moscow’s forces continue pressing westward through the area.
According to a ministry statement, the settlement fell after what it described as active offensive operations by units of its Yug battlegroup. Ukraine’s military had not issued a public response to the specific claim regarding Kurtovka at the time of writing, and the report could not be independently verified.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: What else did Moscow claim about the fighting?
Alongside the reported capture of Kurtovka, Russia’s defence ministry said Ukrainian forces had suffered heavy losses across several sectors of the front over the previous 24 hours, citing more than 425 personnel losses attributed to its Tsentr battlegroup alone, along with additional losses claimed by its Sever, Vostok, Zapad and Dnepr formations. The ministry also said Ukrainian equipment losses included armoured vehicles and a US-made M777 howitzer. Independent monitors have long cautioned that battlefield casualty figures released by either side in the war are difficult to verify and are frequently disputed.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: How does this fit into the wider Donetsk offensive?
Kurtovka is the latest in a string of settlements Russia has claimed in Donetsk in recent days, following reports a day earlier that its forces had taken the villages of Gruzskoye and Nikanorovka in the same region. Russian forces have been steadily advancing across Donetsk for months as part of a broader campaign aimed at securing the entirety of the region, one of four Ukrainian territories Moscow claims to have annexed.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: What is the situation on Ukraine’s side of the front?
Ukraine’s General Staff has continued to report intense daily fighting across the Donetsk front, with more than 199 combat engagements recorded in a single day earlier this week and Russian forces concentrating renewed pressure around the cities of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka. Kyiv’s military has said Russian units have also stepped up the use of guided aerial bombs and drone strikes against Ukrainian positions and nearby settlements as the offensive continues.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Is there pressure building within Ukraine’s command?
The claimed advance comes amid a broader reorganisation of Ukraine’s military leadership under its recently appointed commander-in-chief, Mykhailo Drapatyi, who has moved to reshape command structures along the Donetsk front as Russian forces edge closer to the city of Sloviansk. Ukrainian intelligence officials have separately warned that Moscow may be preparing the groundwork for a further wave of mobilisation, though no political decision on the matter has yet been announced by the Kremlin.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Why is territory in Donetsk considered so significant?
Control over Donetsk has been a central objective of Russia’s campaign since the early stages of its full-scale invasion in 2022, with Moscow describing its efforts in the region as part of what it calls the liberation of the Donbas. Kyiv and its Western allies reject that framing, characterising Russia’s actions as an illegal occupation of sovereign Ukrainian territory. Neither side’s claims over individual settlements can typically be verified in real time, and open-source monitors tracking the front line have often reported discrepancies between Russian and Ukrainian accounts of who controls specific villages.
Fighting in the region is expected to continue in the coming days, with both sides reporting ongoing clashes across multiple sectors of the Donetsk front.
