Russian forces announced on Tuesday that they had captured another village, Pivdenne, in their ongoing offensive in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. The village, located on the outskirts of Toretsk, had a pre-war population of approximately 1,400 people, according to Ukrainian government estimates.

In recent weeks, Moscow has claimed to have taken several villages in the Donetsk region, many of which are small and consist of only a few streets. The Russian defense ministry described the capture of Pivdenne as a "liberation."

Despite claiming to have annexed the Donetsk region and three other regions in eastern and southern Ukraine in 2022, Russia does not fully control these areas. Russian forces have been advancing towards Toretsk, a town that once had around 30,000 residents, as part of their latest military operations.

Pivdenne, referred to by Russia by its former name, Leninske, is situated about six kilometers (four miles) southeast of Toretsk. The capture of Pivdenne marks another step in Russia's strategy to consolidate its hold on the Donetsk region amidst the ongoing conflict.