Russian forces announce capture of another eastern Ukrainian town

Russia's military reports capturing the small town of Niu-York in eastern Ukraine as it advances toward major population centers in the Donetsk region, News.Az reports citing BBC .

Ukraine's military has not confirmed the loss of Niu-York, saying only that Russian forces are attacking close to the town and other areas. The army was giving the attacks "a worthy rebuff... and the fighting continues", it said.

Although only a small settlement, controlling Niu-York would represent another step towards the two Donetsk hubs of Toretsk and Pokrovsk.

One of the aims of Ukraine's seizure of territory in Russia's Kursk region is thought to be to force Russia to move some of its forces away from the eastern campaign.

There is no indication so far of that happening, despite Ukraine's commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi now claiming control of 93 Russian villages and towns.

President Volodymyr Zelensky described the situation in the east as difficult, but said Ukrainian troops were doing all they could to destroy the Russian forces. The military chief told a briefing that Russia was sending additional troops to the front line in the east.

A Russia defence ministry statement said active operations by units of its Centre forces group had defeated Ukrainian troops, referring to Niu-York as "one of the largest settlements of the Toretsk agglomeration and a strategically important logistics hub". It also called the town by the Russian name of Novgorodskoye.

Russian military bloggers shared footage late on Monday of a Russian tricolor flag being posted on the roof of a school in Niu-York with the Ukrainian flag lying on the ground.

However, the video first circulated two weeks ago and Ukrainian forces had since blown up the flag and damaged the roof with a drone on 8 August.

News.Az