Russia claims Ukrainian stronghold in the east of the country

Russia on Monday claimed the seizure of the Ukrainian village of Bilogorivka, one of the few towns in the eastern Lugansk region that was under Kiev's control. 

Lugansk is one of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claimed to have annexed by 2022 and taking full control of it has long been a priority for the Kremlin. 

"As a result of combat operations, units of the southern troop grouping completely liberated the village of Bilogorivka," the Russian Defence Ministry said. 

Bilogorivka, which had a population of about 800 people before the war, was a symbol of Ukrainian resistance in the Lugansk region. 

Ukrainian troops had retaken it in 2022. 

The Ukrainian army has faced intense pressure over the past two weeks due to a new Russian offensive in the Kharkov region and a shortage of ammunition along the entire front. 

Moscow, which launched an offensive in Ukraine more than two years ago, claims to have made a number of advances in the past week, including outside the Kharkov region.