Moscow: Russia claimed on Saturday that it took control of another settlement in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region. The Russian Defense Ministry announced via a statement on Telegram that its forces captured the village of Starytsia, located approximately 43 kilometers (27 miles) northeast of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Russian Defense Ministry had also claimed a day earlier that its forces took control of the village of Symynivka, positioned just 8 kilometers (5 miles) northwest of Starytsia. Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on Russia’s claims, and independent verification of these claims remains challenging due to the ongoing war, which will enter its fifth year next month.