MOSCOW

Russia claimed on Saturday that its army has seized control of another settlement in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region.

The Southern group of forces captured the settlement of Zhelanne Druhe, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Russian forces have accelerated their advance in Donetsk in recent months, reportedly taking control of dozens of settlements.

Earlier on Friday, the ministry claimed that at least six settlements in Ukraine, including the key city of Vuhledar, came under Russian forces control this week alone.

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

Russia and Ukraine continue fighting in the border region of Kursk, where Kyiv began incursion last month, and in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow continues claiming advances on multiple fronts.