Russia says captured village in Ukraine's Sumy region

Russia on Monday said it had seized the village of Grabovske in Ukraine's Sumy region, from where Kyiv had last month accused Moscow of forcibly relocating dozens of residents in a "medieval raid".

The capture would mark a new advance in the northeastern region, previously largely spared from fighting since Ukraine regained land there in a swift 2022 counter-offensive.

Russia's defence ministry said on social media its troops "took control of the village."

Ukraine last month accused Russia of illegally detaining around 50 residents of Grabovske.

The Ukrainian rights ombudsman said they were held incommunicado in poor conditions, before the Russians "forcibly took them to the territory of the Russian Federation".

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga compared it to "medieval raids" and demanded their return.

Russia is slowly but steadily gaining ground in eastern Ukraine amid ongoing diplomacy to end the four-year war.

Sumy is not one of the five Ukrainian regions Moscow claims to have annexed, but Moscow has said it is taking territory to create a "buffer zone" along the Russian border.

Russia's battlefield gains in Ukraine in 2025 were the highest since the first year of its offensive, according to AFP analysis.