India, Aug. 10 -- Russian forces have taken control of two villages in Ukraine's Donetsk region, the country's defence ministry claimed on Sunday, as Moscow continues a slow, costly advance along the eastern front.

The ministry said Kremlin forces had seized Vasyutinske, located a few miles from the strategically important "fortress city" of Kramatorsk, and separately claimed to have taken Toretsk, southwest of the city of Druzhkivka, according to Sky News. Ukraine did not comment on the claims, and Sky News said it was unable to independently verify the reports.

Russia Ukraine War Latest News: How Costly Has Russia's Advance Through Donetsk Been?

Despite the territorial claims, Russia's push through Donetsk has shown little significan...