The Russian military said Thursday it had captured the village of Milove in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, opening a new front on their shared border.
Ukraine did not immediately comment on Russia’s claim.
Milove lies on a section of the border that Moscow’s forces had not penetrated since their offensive began in 2022, and was home to several hundred people before the conflict.
“As a result of decisive actions, the village of Melovoye in the Kharkiv region has been liberated,” the Russian defense ministry said, using the Russian spelling for the village.
The Ukrainian army said in a briefing earlier Thursday that Moscow had repeatedly attempted to break through the border near Milove, but that it was “steadfastly holding back” Russia’s advances.
Moscow has been grinding forward on the front line for over a year, pressing its advantage against overstretched and outmanned Ukrainian troops.
The Russian military accelerated its advances for a third consecutive month in June and made its biggest gains since November, according to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War.
