Russia on Saturday said it has taken the village of Zoryane in eastern Ukraine, enabling its troops to approach the industrial hub of Kurakhove.

Kurakhove lies west of Donetsk city, which is already under Russian control.

Russia’s defence ministry said, “The locality of Zoryane… has been liberated”.

Russia has been concentrating its offensive on Kurakhove with Moscow’s troops at its gates, just a few kilometres from the centre.

 

Kurakhove, home to about 20,000 people before Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, lies south of Pokrovsk, a logistic hub.

Russian troops have meanwhile also stepped up attacks in the southern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia