Russia says captured two more villages in east Ukraine
MOSCOW

Russian forces have captured two more villages in east Ukraine, including one just a few kilometres from Pokrovsk, a key supply hub for Kiev's forces, the Defence Ministry said on Monday.
Army units "liberated" Shevchenko and Novoyegorivka in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk respectively, it said.
Shevchenko is around three kilometers from Pokrovsk.
Meanwhile, Russian state media reported that Ukraine attacked a Russian-occupied town in the southern Kherson region on Monday, killing two people and wounding more than a dozen others.
The region's Moscow-installed governor said Ukrainian forces had fired "cluster munitions" near a school in the town of Bekhtery when students and teachers were on their way to lessons and that children were among the wounded.
Both Russia and Ukraine have ramped up hostilities in recent months, trying to secure the upper hand in the almost three-year conflict ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration.
The attack came as Russian forces advanced further in east Ukraine.
Russia accelerated its advances in Ukraine last year, capturing seven times more territory in 2024 than in 2023, according to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War.
Moscow is also pressing into the hilltop city of Chasiv Yar, a frontline stronghold whose capture would allow it to drive deeper into the Donetsk region.
Moscow and Kiev have accused each other of firing on civilian areas far behind the front lines throughout the conflict, a claim they both deny.
Russia also said on Monday it had shot down 31 Ukrainian drones, which mainly targeted industrial sites.