Russian forces claim control of Memryk village in eastern Ukraine

TASS news agency quoted the Russian Defense Ministry as saying on September 9 that Russian forces had taken control of the village of Memryk in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

Earlier, AFP reported that Russian troops had captured the town of Novohrodivka in Donetsk province, just 20km from the strategic city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine.

This is the latest step in Moscow's summer offensive to control the Donbass region.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the country's forces "liberated" Novohrodivka - a town with more than 14,000 people before the conflict broke out in February 2022.

The capture of Novohrodivka brought Russian troops closer to Pokrovsk - an important Ukrainian logistics center.

Despite Ukraine's surprise attack on Russia's Kursk region on August 6, Moscow continues to gain the upper hand on the Donetsk battlefield.

President Putin has said Russia's main goal after 30 months of fighting is to control the Donbass region and said Ukraine's offensive in Kursk has made this goal easier.

Russian forces, which have controlled about a fifth of Ukraine's territory since the conflict broke out in late February 2022, are advancing into eastern Ukraine in an effort to seize the entire Donbass.