Russia claims it took control of 2 more settlements in Ukraine

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Tuesday that its forces took control of two more Ukrainian settlements over the past day.

According to a ministry statement, the key logistics hub of Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi in the Kharkiv region came under Russian control following operations by the Zapad (West) group of forces, while the settlement of Novoyakovlivka in the Zaporizhzhia region was seized by the Dnepr group of forces.

The ministry also said that Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov inspected the Zapad group, received briefings from commanders, and presented military awards.

Meanwhile, the ministry said Ukraine launched a large-scale air attack overnight, during which 11 US-made HIMARS missiles, an S-200 missile adapted for ground targets, and 105 drones were shot down.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia carried out a "tough attack" on the Odesa region using more than 50 drones.

Other regions, including Lviv, Dnipro, Sumy, Mykolaiv, and Kharkiv, were also targeted, with a total of 165 drones involved in the assault, according to Zelenskyy.

"A tough attack using combat drones hit Odesa. Russians launched more than 50 drones into the city," he said.

In a separate statement, head of the Odesa regional military administration, Serhiy Lysak, said 22 people were injured in the Russian attack.

"The most serious situation is at one site in the Khadzhibey district, where part of a residential building has been destroyed. It is believed that there may be people trapped under the rubble," he said.

Lysak added that search and rescue operations are ongoing and that the casualty count may rise further.

Independent verification of both Moscow's and Kyiv's claims is difficult due to the war that has continued for nearly four years.