ISTANBUL

Russia claimed on Wednesday that it took control of another settlement in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

A statement by the Defense Ministry said its forces captured the settlement of Zhelanne, around 21 kilometers (13 miles) southeast of the city of Pokrovsk, a key point in the ongoing offensive on Ukraine’s eastern front.

The settlement is also nearly 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) southwest of the village of Prohres, which Moscow claimed it captured late last month.

A day earlier, Russia claimed to have taken the settlement of Niu-York, which it described as a "strategically important logistics hub."

Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on Russia's claims, and independent verification of the claims is difficult due to the ongoing war.