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Russia on Wednesday claimed that it took control of two settlements in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Sumy regions, as Moscow continues its offensive in the war-torn country.

According to a statement from the Defense Ministry, the Russian forces took control of the village of Zelene Pole, located about 16 kilometers (10 miles) west of the strategic town of Velyka Novosilka in the eastern Donetsk region.

Russia claimed to have seized Velyka Novosilka on Jan. 27, which lies about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from the junction of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

Zelene Pole lies just 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the junction point.

The statement further claimed that its forces took control of the village of Kostiantynivka, situated on the Ukraine’s border with Russia in the northeastern Sumy region.

The village is some 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) north of the city of Sumy, the border region’s administrative center, which has been regularly hit by Russian airstrikes over the course of the Ukraine war.

Ukrainian authorities have not immediately commented on Russia’s claims, and independent verification of the claims is difficult due to the ongoing conflict, now in its fourth year.

In an earlier statement on Telegram, Ukraine's General Staff said that Russian forces launched 25 attacks near five settlements in the Novopavlivka front, including Zelene Pole, a day earlier.