Russian forces advance toward strategic Ukrainian city, military bloggers say

Russian forces person precocious further into respective eastbound Ukrainian towns, bringing them person to capturing the strategical metropolis of Pokrovsk, Russian and Ukrainian bloggers said.

"The force precocious successful Selydove," DeepState, a radical with adjacent links to the Ukrainian service that analyzes combat footage, wrote connected the Telegram messaging app precocious Saturday. It posted a representation indicating Russian troops successful the town's southeast.

Russian forces person been storming the ember mining municipality of Selydove successful Ukraine's Donetsk portion for the past week. Capturing it would pave the mode for a Russian beforehand connected the logistical hub of Pokrovsk 20 km northwest.

The Russian quality outlet SHOT said connected Telegram that Moscow's unit power 80% of Selydove.

The Russian-installed caput of Donetsk region, Denis Pushilin, said Russian forces had hoisted their unit's emblem connected the extortion of 1 of the buildings successful the municipality of Hirnyk, astir 14 km southbound of Selydove, Russia's authorities quality bureau RIA reported.

Russian subject bloggers besides reported that Russian forces were adjacent to taking implicit the municipality of Kurakhove, conscionable southwest of Hirnyk.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. Ukraine has not commented connected them.

Ukraine's Armed Forces said successful its evening study connected Saturday that Kyiv forces had repelled 36 Russian attacks on the Pokrovsk front-line successful the erstwhile day, including successful the country of Selydove, portion respective battles were inactive ongoing.

After Moscow's full-scale penetration successful Ukraine successful February 2022 failed to prehend the capital, Kyiv, and triumph a decisive victory, President Vladimir Putin scaled backmost his warfare ambitions to taking the aged concern heartland successful Ukraine's eastbound known arsenic Donbas, which covers the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

Last period Russian forces precocious determination astatine their fastest complaint since March 2022, according to open-source data, contempt Ukraine taking a portion of Russia's Kursk region.

Early Sunday, Russia's aerial defence units reported destroying astatine slightest 30 Ukrainian drones overnight crossed the confederate regions of Voronezh, Bryansk, Oryol, Lipetsk and Belgorod, the Russian defence ministry wrote connected Telegram.

One pistillate was injured arsenic a effect of the drone onslaught connected the borderline portion of Belgorod, the region's politician Vyacheslav Gladkov, said connected Telegram. He added that a fewer cars were besides damaged.

Maxim Yegorov, politician of the Tambov region, astir 450 km southeast of Moscow, said a Ukrainian drone fell onto the Michurinsky territory of the region, sparking a short-lived occurrence but causing nary injuries oregon worldly damage.

The Russian defence ministry reports lone however galore drones its units destroy, not however galore Ukraine launches. Russian officials besides seldom disclose the afloat standard of harm inflicted by the attacks, particularly erstwhile they impact subject oregon vigor infrastructure.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was nary contiguous remark from Ukraine.