Russia Claims Fresh Gains in Donetsk Amid Rumors of Imminent Talks With US

Trump has recently said that he is making progress in talks aimed at ending the war.

Amid the Russia–Ukraine war, Ukrainian servicemen of the 26th artillery brigade fire an AHS Krab self-propelled howitzer toward Russian positions near the front line in the Chasiv Yar area in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Sept. 30, 2024. Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images

Moscow has claimed that its forces have captured Yasenove, roughly 12 miles south of the city of Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk region, amid speculation that U.S.–Russia talks may be imminent.

“Battlegroup Center units liberated the settlement ... through decisive operations,” Russia’s defense ministry said in a statement cited by Russia’s TASS news agency on Feb. 11.