MOSCOW

The Russian army has captured the settlement of Staritsia located in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region, the Defense Ministry claimed on Saturday.

The ministry said in a statement the Russian forces “liberated the settlement of Staritsia in the Kharkiv region and continued to advance.”

Ukraine is yet to comment on Russia's claims.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that combat operations in Ukraine's Kharkiv region are aimed at establishing a "sanitary zone" - a buffer area from which Ukrainian strikes cannot reach Russian territory.

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the combat situation in the Kharkiv region as "extremely difficult" and met with his military chiefs to discuss possible actions.