Russia said on Monday its forces had made important gains in eastern Ukraine while continuing to fend off a new Ukrainian offensive inside the Kursk region of western Russia, where a second day of fierce fighting was under way.

"Such fire damage is an integral part of combat operations of Ukraine's Defense Forces units, which are engaged in combat operations on the territory of the Russian Federation," the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said.

Russian troops executed three Ukrainian prisoners of war near the eastern front line on Jan. 3, the Ukrainian parliament’s commissioner for human rights Dmitro Lubinets announced, citing the war monitoring project DeepState.

As of the evening of January 7, 159 combat engagements occurred in the frontline. Russian forces are actively attacking in the Pokrovsk direction and in the Kursk region, reports the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Russia claims to have captured a key stronghold in Ukraine as Donald Trump's looming inauguration triggers escalation in the region.