RUSSIA – The Russian Defense Ministry on Saturday claimed that 2 new settlements had been captured, as the Russian forces continue to advance in Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

According to a Defense Ministry statement, Russian forces captured the village of Kolodyazi, situated about 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) northeast of the city of Lyman, a key front in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war in the eastern Donetsk region.

The statement further claimed that its forces also took control of the village of Vorone in the Dnipropetrovsk region, located about 24 kilometers (15 miles) northwest of the strategic town of Velyka Novosilka.

In January, Russia claimed to have seized Velyka Novosilka in the Donetsk region. The town lies near the junction of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

Ukraine’s General Staff claimed on Saturday morning that Russian forces launched 21 attacks near five settlements, including Kolodiazi, in the Lyman front.

Moscow’s claims came hours after Trump and Putin held a key summit in Anchorage, Alaska. It was the first meeting between the sitting Russian and US presidents in over four years.