Russia seizes village in east Ukraine, closing on Kurakhove

MOSCOW

Russia said on Thursday it captured another village in east Ukraine, closing in on the town of Kurakhove after months of steady advances.

Russia has captured new villages in east Ukraine regularly since this summer, as its offensive drags on.

The Russian defence ministry said its troops had taken the village of Voznesenka, north of Kurakhove, a town west of Donetsk city that had a population of around 20,000 before Moscow launched its 2022 offensive.

Russian troops now control territory to the north, east and south of Kurakhove, which lies on the shores of a reservoir.

Earlier this week, flood fears arose as Ukraine said Russian attacks damaged a dam on the reservoir.

Ukraine, meanwhile, said on Thursday that its forces "fully control" the north-eastern city of Kupiansk but there is "constant" fighting on its outskirts.

Ukrainian troops retook Kupiansk in September 2022, but the city has remained under fierce Russian attacks.

Meanwhile, Sergei Shoigu, secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council, attended China’s premier military showcase in a show of unity between the countries.

Shoigu was in the southern city of Zhuhai to view Chinese and Russian aircraft and other military hardware on Thursday.

They included Chinese J22 and J35A stealth fighters that China says are rivals to the latest U.S. jets in the same class.

Shoigu, a former defense minister, appeared to be on a mission to reaffirm ties between the countries as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has largely stalemated and Moscow has turned to North Korean soldiers to boost its troop numbers.