Russian troops have taken control of two villages

Russian troops have taken control of the village of Sopych in Ukraine's northern Sumy region and Kalenyky in the eastern Donetsk region, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.



The Russian announcement was issued a day after Moscow and Kyiv issued conflicting claims on which side was making advances along the 1,250 km (775 mile) frontline in the four-year-old war.



"The armed forces of the Russian Federation liberated the settlement of Kalenyky in (Donetsk) as well as establishing control over the settlement of Sopych in Sumy region," the ministry said in a post on Telegram.



In an assessment of the progress of Russian forces, top general Valery Gerasimov on Monday said his troops were continuing to set up buffer zones in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.



Sopych is located on the border with Russia in the Sumy region, where Russian forces have for months been trying to establish a presence.