Russia's defense ministry claimed Monday that its forces had captured the village of Semenivka in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. The latest gain comes after the ministry announced the capture of the village of Novobakhmutivka, just north of Semenivka, on Sunday.
The reported advances come after Ukrainian forces were pulled back from several villages in eastern Ukraine, including Semenivka, at the weekend.
"The situation at the front [has] worsened," Ukraine's commander-in-chief, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on Telegram.
He said the "most difficult situation" was in the areas west of Russian-occupied Maryinka and Avdiivka, a town captured by Russian forces in February and that he had moved his forces "to new frontiers" west of the villages of Berdychi, Semenivka and Novomykhailivka in a bid to prevent casualties.