Russia captures village in eastern Ukraine

MOSCOW: Russian forces have taken control of the settlement of Bohdanivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, Russia’s defence ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Control of Bohdanivka, located just to the west of the city of the Russian-held city of Bakhmut, has been in doubt for some time. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, in its Sunday evening report, mentioned Bohdanivka as one of a series of villages where it said Ukrainian forces repelled 13 enemy attacks. But it gave no specific details. Ukraine’s Defence Ministry denied last week that Russia had captured all of Bohdanivka, while acknowledging it had lost some positions in the village in eastern Donetsk region.

Unofficial Ukrainian sources have suggested Bohdanivka is in Russian hands, based on video footage of the village and the town of Chasiv Yar, to the southwest.Ukraine has focused attention on defending Chasiv Yar, describing it as an important post in keeping the Russians from advancing westward through Donetsk region to the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.Maksym Zhorin, a commander on the frontline in the area, told national television on Sunday that all positions around Chasiv Yar were under full Ukrainian control.Bakhmut was captured by Russian troops in May 2023 after months of fierce fighting that levelled what was once a city of about 70,000.KYIV:

In a related development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the passage of $60 billion in aid for Ukraine by the U.S. House of Representatives but urged Washington to quickly turn the bill into law and proceed with the actual transfer of weapons, saying long-range arms and air defense systems were top priorities.

In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press”, Zelensky said the passage of the bill would send a powerful message to Russia that Washington stands by Kyiv and that it would not be “a second Afghanistan.” “I think this support will really strengthen the armed forces of Ukraine and we will have a chance for victory,” Zelensky said through an interpreter.

The legislation now proceeds to the Democratic-majority Senate, which passed a similar measure more than two months ago. U.S. leaders, from Democratic President Joe Biden to top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, had been urging Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring it up for a vote.

Zelenskiy declined to provide a timeline when asked how long it would take Ukraine to “turn the corner on Russia” and whether Kyiv would need as much aid this time next year.

He said Kyiv had lost the initiative in the fighting in the eastern part of the country, but that once the weapons arrive it will have the chance to stabilize the situation.

“Giving U.S. specific timeline of the war, well, it depends on how soon we get this aid,” he said.