Russia says its forces push further in eastern Ukraine By Reuters

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia said on Friday it had captured the village of Marynivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, where its forces have been pushing towards the important logistics hub of Pokrovsk.

Ukraine’s General Staff did not comment on the status of Marynivka but said areas near there and Selydove, to the southwest, had seen the biggest concentration of Russian attacks over the past day. It said 42 Russian assaults on the Pokrovsk front had been repelled.

Reuters could not independently confirm battlefield reports from either side.

Russian forces have in recent weeks accelerated their progress in Donetsk, taking a series of towns and villages.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is in the United States this week to request further support. U.S. President Joe Biden announced more than $8 billion in military assistance for Ukraine on Thursday to help Kyiv “win this war”.