Russia claims it has captured a Ukrainian village in the latest series of attacks
Russia claims its armed forces have captured the village of Novoselivka Persha in eastern Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced today that Moscow "liberated the settlement" in the Donetsk region, the last in a series of villages that the Kremlin claims to have captured in recent weeks, RFE reports.
Donetsk is one of four areas in eastern and southern Ukraine that Russia claims it annexed in 2022, months after the invasion began.
At the same time, Ukrainian armed forces shot down five drones following a Russian missile attack in several Ukrainian areas.
The commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mykola Oleschuk, wrote on Facebook that five Iranian Shahed drones were intercepted in the Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad and Zaporizhia regions. The drones were launched from an air base in the Russian region of Krasnodar.
Russia also launched two S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles and two Kh-59 guided missiles, Ukraine said.
The governor of Kherson, Oleksandr Prokudin, said that during the Russian shelling the day before, 15 people were injured, including a child.
Despite evidence to the contrary, Russia maintains that it is not targeting Ukrainian civilians in the war.
The United Nations human rights mission said at least 11.284 Ukrainian civilians had been killed since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, stressing that the true number was likely higher.
Meanwhile, Russian authorities began sending text messages encouraging citizens to report to the Ministry of Defense and "immediately" receive 800.000 rubles ($9.400) after signing a contract.
In addition to compensation, regional governors have the authority to provide additional funds to soldiers from their areas. Additional payments range from 1,12 million rubles ($13.200) to 1,7 million rubles ($20.000).
Russia is trying to increase conscription without formally declaring mobilization, which could cause resentment.
Ahead of presidential elections in December 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed that there will be no new mobilization announcements as there are already "half a million" troops on the frontline.
