Russian forces continue to push forward on Ukraine’s eastern front, claiming the capture of three more settlements—two in the Donetsk region and one in the northern region of Sumy, according to a statement from Russia’s Defence Ministry on Saturday.

Following the unsuccessful attempt to seize Kyiv early in the conflict, Russian troops shifted their focus to the eastern Donbas area, which includes the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. More recently, Moscow has also directed efforts toward the Sumy region, especially after asserting that it had expelled Ukrainian troops from the border area near Kursk.

The Defence Ministry reported that Russian forces had taken control of the village of Stupochky in Donetsk, located east of Kostiantynivka, which has recently been under pressure. They also claimed the capture of Otradne, a village further west along the extensive front line, and Loknya, a village in the Sumy region near the Russian border.

However, Ukraine’s military has not confirmed any such territorial losses. Ukrainian officials listed Otradne among areas where they repelled 18 Russian assaults and had previously identified Stupochky as part of a region under attack.

For several months, Ukraine has noted Russian attempts to move into the Sumy region, but officials have not acknowledged the loss of any settlements there.

An independent military blog based in Ukraine, which relies on open-source information, reported that Russian troops had established positions for the first time along several border villages.

Separately, Russian authorities also reported capturing the village of Radkivka, located near Kupiansk in the northeast—a city that has faced prolonged military pressure. On Saturday, the mayor of Kupiansk, Andrii Besedin, highlighted the toll the conflict has taken on civilians, reporting the deaths of two municipal workers.

“We’re suffering terrible losses—our people, our colleagues are dying so the city can survive,” Besedin said during a national broadcast. “Unfortunately, around 90% of the city has been destroyed.”