Kyiv Claims Gains in Donetsk; Moscow Says Ukraine Is on Verge of Exhaustion

Ukraine claims to have captured another village in Donetsk, although Russian sources dispute the assertion. Meanwhile, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu says Kyiv’s military is ‘almost exhausted,’ and a NATO official floats the idea of making Ukraine an alliance member in exchange for ceding territory to Russia.

A Ukrainian serviceman walks inside a heavily damaged cultural centre in the recently liberated village of Blagodatne, in the Donetsk region on June 16, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images

Ukrainian forces have retaken Urozhaine, a small village in the eastern Donetsk region, according to military officials in Kyiv.

The announcement comes more than two months into a Ukrainian counteroffensive that has so far failed to break through Russian defensive lines.