Russia’s Defense Ministry is claiming that its forces have captured the mining town of Toretsk, their latest breakthrough in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, where Ukrainian defenses are creaking.

Russia said Friday its forces had seized the mining town of Toretsk in east Ukraine after months of heavy fighting, allowing Moscow to push further into the Donbas region. Kyiv denied Russia had full control of the industrial hub.

Russia captures Toretsk in eastern Ukraine, intensifying conflict as Ukrainian defenses weaken and U.S. military aid remains uncertain.

Russian forces have taken control of the city of Toretsk in eastern Ukraine, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday. Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield report. Russia calls the city by its Soviet-era name of Dzerzhynsk and says Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region is now part of Russia,

Russia on Friday claimed it had captured another village in its relentless offensive in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region and as it closes in on the critical Ukrainian logistics hub of Pokrovsk after almost three years of war.

The Russian military has claimed the capture of the eastern Ukrainian town of Toretsk after months of heavy fighting. The Russian Defence Ministry announced the victory on Friday, using Toretsk's former name of Dzerzhynsk.