Beirut: Russia claimed Monday that its forces had captured two more settlements in southeastern Ukraine.

According to Anadolu Agency, in a statement on Telegram, Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had taken control of the village of Torske in Ukraine's Donetsk region. Russian forces first captured Torske in April 2022 before Ukraine retook it in October that year. The village has since been the subject of repeated Russian claims of recapture.

The ministry also claimed that Russian forces had captured the village of Khrystoforivka in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, referring to it by its former name, Kommunarivka. Ukraine had not immediately commented on the claims, which could not be independently verified because of the ongoing war.