Russian forces have captured another village in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, while Kyiv reports that Moscow is ramping up attacks away from the northeastern Kharkiv region.
The Russian defense ministry announced that troops had ‘taken control of the village of Arkhangelske’, located north of the city of Donetsk. This small frontline village is near the town of Ocheretyne, which Russia claimed to have captured earlier this month.
This development follows statements from Moscow aides suggesting that Vladimir Putin seeks a ceasefire in Ukraine. They argue that the war’s high costs, along with potential to portray territorial gains as a victory domestically, motivate Putin’s desire for a ceasefire.
Russian sources said that Putin is ready to ‘freeze the war’ in Ukraine if a ceasefire recognizing the current battlefield lines can be negotiated. They added that Putin is wary of further advances requiring another nationwide mobilization, which he opposes after his popularity declined following the first mobilization in September 2022.
Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Saturday that Russian forces were “particularly active” near the town of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, with six firefights ongoing near the villages of Kalynove, Yasnobrodivka, and Sokil, south of Arkhangelske.
Ukrainian police reported that three civilians had been killed and two wounded in Russian attacks on the Donetsk region, which experienced over 1,800 strikes in the last day.
Additionally, Ukraine stated that its forces had repelled two attacks in the Kharkiv region, with continued fighting near the town of Vovchansk, which Moscow is attempting to seize. Russia’s defense ministry claimed its troops had fought off two counter-attacks near the border, one close to Vovchansk.
The governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleg Synegubov, reported on Saturday that Russians had hit the railway hub of Kupiansk-Vuzloviy with a guided bomb, wounding at least five people.
