Summer Campaign Has Led to Capture of 19 Settlements in Southeast Ukraine, Russia Says

Russia says its troops have taken control of 19 settlements in southeastern Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions as part of a summer campaign, according to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry. It cited a report by Pyotr Bolgarev, commander of the eastern group of forces, but did not name the specific settlements. The ministry also claimed recent control of Rybalskoye in Zaporizhzhia. Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield claims.