Russia Captures Village in Donetsk Region as Fierce Fighting in Ukraine Continues

The Russian military has announced its capture of the village of Pivdenne in Ukraine's Donetsk region. Located approximately 6 kilometers southeast of Toretsk, a significant Ukrainian fortress and coal-mining town, Pivdenne has been a target for Russian advances since June.

Ukrainian authorities have reported that over the past 24 hours, Russian forces made 15 attempts to breach Ukrainian defenses near Pokrovsk. However, there was no mention of Pivdenne in their statement, Reuters observes.

Ukrainian military bloggers have dismissed claims that Russian troops have entered Toretsk, although they confirmed ongoing intense battles in the surrounding areas.

Before the conflict, Pivdenne had a population of about 1,404, while Toretsk had roughly 30,000 residents. The capture of Pivdenne is part of Russia's broader offensive on Toretsk, which has seen some of the region's heaviest fighting. Russian units are also advancing toward Pokrovsk, a major Ukrainian transport hub situated about 70 kilometers west of Toretsk. The Ukrainian General Staff has recorded 40 Russian attacks in the Pokrovsk sector.

On Sunday, the Russian army reported taking control of two additional villages, Progres and Evgeniyevka, on the way to Pokrovsk.

In a separate development, Ukraine announced it had successfully repelled what it described as the largest drone attack of the year. Ukrainian forces intercepted a Russian X-59 missile and 89 Iranian Shahed 131/136 drones overnight. The missile targeted the Mykolaiv region, while around 40 drones were downed over Kyiv. A similar drone assault occurred on New Year's Eve, with the aerial alert in Kyiv lasting over seven hours.