Russia Claims Its Forces Have Captured Two Villages in Eastern Ukraine

According to Reuters, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday that its forces have gained control over two villages named "Ilinka" and "Petriivka" in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine. The same source also claimed that Russian air defense has shot down 55 Ukrainian drones in the past 24 hours. Reuters emphasized that it has been unable to independently verify battlefield reports from either side. Based on open-source data, Russian forces control just under 20% of Ukrainian territory and have advanced rapidly in the Donetsk region over the past two months, compared to their pace since March 2022. Earlier, city officials in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, stated on Sunday that Russia conducted a drone attack during its latest nighttime airstrike on the capital. According to "Serhiy Popko," a military official, Ukrainian air defense destroyed "about 12 unmanned aerial vehicles" over the city. He noted that no injuries were reported following debris fall in one of the city’s areas. Reuters journalists heard explosions in the city shortly after the second air raid alert of the day, a little after dawn. Russia regularly targets Ukrainian settlements that are far from the front lines of its nearly three-year-long invasion with missiles and drones. These attacks have particularly targeted the energy network during the winter season. Last week, Russia also carried out extensive attacks against Ukraine, focusing on the country's energy network. The nighttime drone attack by Russia on Kyiv was intercepted, according to Ukraine. The North Korean leader claimed that Russia has the "right" to defend itself against Ukraine. Ukraine has requested a formal invitation to join NATO.