MOSCOW (Agencies) - Russian forces have captured the village of Vodyane in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, Russia's defence ministry said on Friday.
"On the Avdiivka front, units of the Centre group of forces liberated the village of Vodiane," the Russian defence ministry said in a briefing.
The claim could not be independently verified.
Ukrainian defenders in the Avdiivka region are trying to dig in amid Russian advanced in the Donetsk region, but they face shortages of artillery rounds, with US aid stuck in Congress for months.
Earlier on Friday Russia's state-run RIA news agency cited an official as saying Russian troops had entered the suburbs of Chasiv Yar, further north near Bakhmut.
The Ukrainian military acknowledged the battlefield situation near Chasiv Yar was tense, but denied Russian advances in the town.
RUSSIAN STRIKE KILLS THREE IN ZAPORIZHZHIA
Meanwhile aRussian air attack on Ukraine's southern city of Zaporizhzhia killed three people and injured 13 others, said the regional governor.
A nine-year old boy was among the injured, Ivan Fedorov added on Telegram. It was unclear what was hit but an image posted by the governor showed a cafe with shattered windows.
A series of blasts was reported in the city of Zaporizhzhia on Friday afternoon.
Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 13 Russian drones launched overnight at the southern regions of Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk, but five missiles got through. Authorities did not report any casualties.
Russia on Friday alleged that Ukrainian military drones attacked the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant but caused no damage to its critical infrastructure.
STRIKES ON UKRAINE A 'RESPONSE' TO ATTACKS ON ENERGY SECTOR
Separately, the Russia defence ministry on Friday said its recent strikes on Ukraine were a "response" to Ukrainian attacks on its energy sector, which Kyiv has frequently targeted in drone attacks.
Moscow has launched almost daily strikes on Ukraine's power grid since late March, repeating its campaign of aerial bombardment that plunged millions into darkness in 2022 and early 2023.
The Russian defence ministry said it had carried out 39 strikes against Ukraine since March 31 "in response to attempts by the Kyiv regime to damage facilities in the oil and gas and energy sectors of Russia".
It said the strikes targeted Ukraine's energy sector and fuel depots as well as "enterprises of the military-industrial complex" and air defences.
Ukraine has fired dozens of drones at Russian energy facilities including oil refineries since the conflict began, sometimes hundreds of kilometres from the border.
Russian strikes on Ukraine's power stations since late March have caused "billions" of dollars in damage and prompted emergency blackouts in several regions.