Russian forces take control of three Ukrainian villages across multiple regions, defense ministry says
Official Ukrainian reports of activity along the 1,000-km (600-mile) front disputed part of the Russian account, particularly concerning a key village in the southeast.
Reuters could not independently verify battlefield reports from either side.
The Russian Defense Ministry report named the three captured settlements as Kamianske in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, Dehtiarne in northeastern Kharkiv region, and Popiv Yar in Donetsk region, the main theater of Russian operations.
Russian forces are engaged in a slow advance westward, mainly through Donetsk region, and Moscow announces the capture of new villages almost every day.
Ukrainian military spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn told the liga.net media outlet that holding Kamianske, southeast of the region's main town of Zaporizhzhia, was important to keep that city safe from attack.
But Kamianske had been all but flattened by long periods of fighting, he said. Ukrainian forces had moved out of it and successfully attacked Russian troops whenever small groups periodically ventured into it.
'The Russians cannot go into the village and hold it,' Voloshyn was quoted as saying. 'There is not a single dwelling left intact, not a single wall left standing, nothing to hold, nothing to enable you to take cover.'
There was no acknowledgement from Ukraine that Popiv Yar had changed hands — the village lies northeast of Pokrovsk, for months a focal point of Russian attacks in Donetsk region.
For at least a week, it has remained in the 'grey zone' of uncertain control as reported by DeepState, a Ukrainian military blog based on open source accounts of the fighting. There was no news from Ukrainian officials of the situation at Dehtiarne.
On Wednesday, Russia's military announced the capture of the village of Novohatske, southwest of Pokrovsk. Another Ukrainian military spokesperson, Viktor Trehubov, told public broadcaster Suspilne on Thursday that the village was in Russian hands.
Moscow controls a little less than 20 percent of Ukrainian territory and says it has incorporated four regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson into Russia, a move that Kyiv and most Western countries reject as illegal.
In 2014, Russia seized and annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula, also a claim widely disputed internationally
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Saudi Gazette
5 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
Thai-Cambodian border clashes continue despite Trump ceasefire push
UBON RATCHATHANI — Artillery exchanges between Thai and Cambodian forces continued Sunday along the disputed border, despite U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to broker a ceasefire between the two Southeast Asian nations. Cambodian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata accused Thai troops of continuing to 'invade Cambodian territory,' alleging they launched artillery shells and rockets into Cambodian areas, according to the Khmer Times. Meanwhile, Thai army spokesman Richa Suksuvanon said Cambodian forces had fired artillery into several Thai regions, damaging infrastructure. He emphasized that Thai forces 'will only cease fire when Cambodia comes to negotiate,' signaling no immediate end to the hostilities. The fighting entered its fourth consecutive day on Sunday. Although no new casualties were reported, the death toll remained at 33—20 killed on the Thai side, including six soldiers, and 13 from Cambodia, including five soldiers. Thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the Saturday, President Trump announced that both Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand's acting prime minister had agreed to begin ceasefire talks following phone calls with fighting has continued despite those border dispute centers around areas along Cambodia's Preah Vihear province and Thailand's northeastern Ubon Ratchathani reignited on May 28, when a Cambodian soldier was killed, triggering the latest escalation. — Agencies
Arab News
12 hours ago
- Arab News
Thai-Cambodia border shelling continues despite Trump's ceasefire call
SISAKET, Thailand: Cambodia and Thailand each said the other had launched artillery attacks across contested border areas early on Sunday, hours after US President Donald Trump said the leaders of both countries had agreed to work on a ceasefire. Four days after the worst fighting in more than a decade broke out between the Southeast Asian neighbors, the death toll stood above 30, mainly civilians. More than 130,000 people have been evacuated from border areas in the two countries. Cambodia's Defense Ministry said Thailand had shelled and launched ground assaults on Sunday morning at a number of points, including in Phnom Kmoach, which borders Thailand's coastal Trat province. The ministry's spokesperson said heavy artillery was fired at temple complexes. The Thai army said Cambodia had fired shots into several areas, including near civilian homes, early on Sunday. The governor of Surin said artillery shells had been fired into the province, damaging a house and killing some livestock. In the Thai province of Sisaket, Reuters reporters heard shelling early on Sunday and said it was unclear which side of the border it was on. 'If there is a ceasefire, things will be better,' Sisaket resident Thavorn Toosawan said. 'It's great that America is insisting on the ceasefire because it would bring peace.' Trump speaks to both leaders Trump said on Saturday that he had spoken with the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia and they had agreed to meet immediately to quickly work out a ceasefire to end fighting that began on Thursday. Bangkok and Phnom Penh each say the other side started the hostilities. 'Both Parties are looking for an immediate Ceasefire and Peace,' Trump wrote on social media. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet endorsed the call for the fighting to stop. 'I made it clear to Honorable President Donald Trump that Cambodia agreed with the proposal for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire between the two armed forces,' Hun Manet posted on Facebook, noting he had also agreed to Malaysia's earlier ceasefire proposal. Thailand's response was more qualified, as it had been with the proposal from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, saying Cambodia needed to do more before talks could begin. 'I thanked President Trump for his concern and expressed that Thailand agrees in principle to have a ceasefire in place. However, Thailand would like to see sincere intention from the Cambodian side,' acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said on Facebook. The countries have faced off since the killing of a Cambodian soldier late in May during a brief skirmish. Troops on both sides of the border were reinforced amid a full-blown diplomatic crisis that brought Thailand's fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse. Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over undemarcated points along their 817km land border, with ownership of the ancient Hindu temples Ta Moan Thom and the 11th century Preah Vihear central to the disputes. Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962, but tension escalated in 2008 after Cambodia attempted to list it as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and skirmishes over several years brought at least a dozen deaths. Cambodia said in June it had asked the court to resolve its disputes with Thailand, which says it has never recognized the court's jurisdiction and prefers a bilateral approach.
Leaders
a day ago
- Leaders
UK, France, Germany Urge Israel to End Gaza's Humanitarian Catastrophe
Britain, France and Germany are currently pressing on Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza and put an immediate end to a 'humanitarian catastrophe,' according to The Associated Press. Urgent Call This move came after French President Emmanuel Macron announced his plan to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September. On Thursday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that he would hold an 'emergency call' with France and Germany to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. 'I will hold an emergency call with E3 partners tomorrow, where we will discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace,' he said in a statement on Thursday. The joint statement, issued after a call between Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, urged for an immediate ceasefire and said that 'withholding essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable.' The three leaders also stressed their readiness to take more steps to support an immediate ceasefire and a political process that ensures lasting security and peace for Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region. Macron's Surprise Announcement Crucially, Macron's unexpected announcement revealed some differences among the European allies concerning how to end the Israel-Hamas war that has started in October 2023. The E3 supports the establishment of a Palestinian state in principle. However, Germany is not planning to recognize the Palestinian state in the short term, according to Reuters. A German government spokesperson said on Friday that his country's top priority now is to make 'long-overdue progress' towards a two-state solution. Germany's position on Israel in the context of the Gaza war is deeply shaped by its sense of special responsibility to atone for the Holocaust, during which six million European Jews were killed under Hitler's regime between 1933 and 1945. Mounting Pressure in UK As for the UK, the British PM has been facing mounting pressure to officially recognize Palestinian statehood, both from opposition lawmakers and from members of his own Labour Party government. British MP Jeremy Corbyn has recently unveiled an independent 'Gaza tribunal' to investigate the UK's involvement in Israeli genocide in Gaza, according to Arab News. The Independent MP, who was the former Labour Party leader, has been criticizing Israeli military operation in Gaza since October 2023. On June 4, Corbyn introduced a bill into the UK House of Commons urging the government to establish an independent inquiry into UK's complicity in Israeli war in Gaza, including the supply of weapons, surveillance aircraft and use of Royal Air Force bases. Independent Gaza Tribunal However, the bill was rejected at its second reading earlier this month. As a result, Corbyn announced that he would hold a Gaza tribunal in September as 'the public deserves to know the full scale of their government's complicity in genocide.' The British government has been facing increasing pressure from MPs, including many from its own Labour Party, to take a decisive step against Israel. Call for Palestinian State Recognition Approximately 60 British Labour MPs have recently urged the UK government to immediately recognize the Palestinian state and halt what they labeled as 'ethnic cleansing' in Gaza, according to The Guardian. A group of centrist and left-wing MPs write a letter this week to the Foreign Secretary David Lammy asking him to act immediately to stop Israel's reported plan to establish a so-called 'humanitarian city' of tents in the ruins of Rafah, in southern Gaza. 'By not recognizing [Palestine] as a state, we undermine our own policy of a two-state solution and set an expectation that the status quo can continue and see the effective erasure and annexation of Palestinian territory,' the letter said. The MPs also described the plan as 'ethnic cleansing' warning that such a move means the forcible transfer of civilians and the erasure of Palestinian presence as well. It is with great urgency and concern that we are writing to you regarding the Israeli Defense Minister's announcement on Monday of his plans to forcibly transfer all Palestinian civilians in Gaza to a camp in the ruined city of Rafah without allowing them to leave,' the letter added. Since the beginning of Hamas-Israel War in Gaza in 2023, the Israeli strikes have killed more than 57,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 137,000, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Related Topics: Gaza Talks at Crossroads: US Pulls Negotiators as Mediators Report Progress Canada Condemns Israel over Gaza's 'Humanitarian Disaster' UK to Hold Urgent Talks with France, Germany over Gaza War Short link : Post Views: 34
