Two new towns in eastern Ukraine fall under Russian forces’ control

The Russian Defense Ministry announced that its forces had gained control of two towns in Donetsk and had expelled Ukrainian militants from the left bank of Kherson province. In a separate incident, seven people were killed and 36 others were injured in a Russian strike on Zaporizhia.

According to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense, their forces took control of the towns of Sborno and Novoaleksandrovka in Donetsk. They reported shooting down 72 Ukrainian drones, intercepting 9 “Himars” missiles and two “Neptune” missiles. The Ukrainian army reportedly suffered 1,750 deaths within 24 hours.

Vladimir Saldo, governor of the Russian Kherson region, stated that fighting was ongoing on the islands in the Kherson direction. The Ukrainian army had been pushed back from the left bank of the region, with the islands serving as contact points with the enemy. The rest of the region had a natural border – the Dnieper River.

In response to the attack in Zaporizhia, the region declared a day of mourning. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that two missiles landed nearby in the area and destroyed weapons, military equipment, soldiers, and armored vehicles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to allies for more long-range weapons and stronger air defense systems to defend against daily Russian attacks.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry also reported on Sunday that four of its employees were injured in a Ukrainian bombing in the Donetsk region while working to extinguish a fire.

Overall, tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to escalate, with casualties and destruction mounting on both sides.