Russia said on Tuesday that its forces had seized a new town in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, as part of an advance it said also improved its positions along the front line in eastern Ukraine.
The Russian Defence Ministry said its troops captured the town of Vodianske, adding that they struck long-range cruise missile launch sites and Ukrainian drone assembly and storage facilities over the previous 24 hours.
Advance in Donetsk and strikes on Ukrainian positions
The ministry said its units advanced in eastern Ukraine and targeted launch preparation sites for long-range Flamingo cruise missiles, as well as assembly workshops and storage sites for Ukrainian drones and their components.
It added that Russian forces also intercepted 11 guided aerial bombs, five US-made HIMARS rockets and 965 Ukrainian drones.
Cargo ship targeted in Odesa
Moscow also said it struck a cargo ship carrying weapons for Ukrainian forces in Odesa, as the two sides continue to target each other’s military supply and logistics infrastructure.
According to the ministry, Russian forces improved their positions along the front line, with the northern, western and southern groupings inflicting casualties on Ukrainian troops in recent fighting.
Reported Ukrainian losses
The ministry said Ukrainian forces lost more than 220 troops in the northern sector, over 210 in the western sector and about 220 more in the southern sector.
It added that Russian special forces continued preparing the way for the rest of the ground troops to move toward Krasnyi Lyman.
Ukraine responds with drone attacks
Ukraine, meanwhile, continues to respond with drone strikes that have recently disrupted Russian oil production and grain export operations.
Kyiv says the attacks target Russian military and economic infrastructure, while Moscow describes them as direct strikes on vital assets.
Escalation and stalled mediation
Over recent weeks, Russia and Ukraine have sharply intensified their attacks on each other’s interests, amid reports that US-led mediation efforts to end the war and bring both sides to the negotiating table have failed.
The war remains highly active, with both sides pressing military operations and strike campaigns.
Russia says it downed 453 Ukrainian drones
In a separate statement, the Russian Defence Ministry said it had shot down 453 Ukrainian drones overnight over south-western regions of Russia, according to Novosti.
The ministry said the drones were intercepted over regions including Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Voronezh, Kaluga, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Vologda, Oryol, Tula, Lipetsk, Ryazan, Yaroslavl, Volgograd, Rostov, Saratov, Samara, Ulyanovsk and Moscow, as well as Krasnodar territory, Crimea, Bashkortostan and the Black Sea.
Fuel tanks and cargo ship targeted in Black Sea
The ministry also said it targeted fuel tanks at the port of Chornomorsk in Ukraine and a cargo ship in the Black Sea that it said was serving Kyiv’s forces.
The latest claims underscore the widening scope of the conflict, with both sides increasingly relying on drones and strikes against infrastructure, ports and energy facilities.
Conclusion:
Russia’s claims that it seized new areas in Donetsk, alongside the exchange of drone and missile strikes, show that the war in Ukraine remains intense on multiple fronts. With attacks expanding to ports, fuel facilities and energy assets, prospects for de-escalation remain limited for now.
