The claim, which drew no response from Ukrainian authorities, came a day after the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian forces had launched a new thrust in Russia’s Kursk border region.

Russian troops in eastern Ukraine have captured the stronghold of Kurakhove after a monthslong battle, Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed on Monday, adding the wrecked town to the Kremlin’s list of conquests in the partially occupied Donetsk region during the almost three-year war.

Ukrainian armed forces on Sunday night began a surprise offensive in Russia’s Kursk region. This was in an apparent attempt to regain the initiative on the battlefield before Donald Trump’s imminent return to the White House,