Russia says it captures two villages in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv reports frontline battles
Russian forces claim to have captured two villages in Ukraine's Donetsk region, though Ukrainian officials have not confirmed these territorial losses. The frontline remains largely static despite ongoing intense fighting near key cities like Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka.
Why it matters
The ongoing territorial disputes in the Donetsk region highlight the grinding nature of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the difficulty in verifying battlefield gains.
Russian forces have taken control of the two villages in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, state-run RIA news agency reported on Sunday (August 9, 2026), citing the Russian Defence Ministry.
The ministry report on Telegram said Russian forces had seized Vasyutinske, a few kilometers east of the “fortress city” of Kramatorsk, and Toretsk, southwest of the city of Druzhkivka.
Ukrainian forces made no acknowledgement of the two settlements changing hands and Reuters could not verify the battlefield reports independently.
Russia is slowly advancing westward through Donetsk region, though there has been little significant change for months in the positions along the 1,200-km (775-mile) frontline.
The Ukrainian war blog DeepState, which uses open source reports in documenting the frontline positions of both sides, reported that Russian forces had made advances near Illinivka -- outside the contested city of Kostiantynivka.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in