Sunday saw Russia announce that its soldiers had moved into the eastern Ukrainian town of Chasiv Yar and taken control of the Bohdanivka hamlet, while Kyiv said it desperately required the promised backing of the United States to stave off a full-scale invasion.
“Units of the Southern grouping group of forces have fully liberated the settlement of Bohdanivka…and have improved the situation along the front line,” Russia’s defense ministry said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
Bohdanivka, which is situated just west of Bakhmut, a city occupied by Russia, has been in question for a while.
About 5 kilometers (3 miles) to the east of the settlement is Chasiv Yar, a highly fortified hilltop town that serves as the Ukrainian army's advanced artillery camp and offers security to some of the region's biggest cities, such as Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
There was no independent confirmation of the Russian story, and Ukraine made no remarks about Bohdanivka.
Bohdanivka was one of many villages in which Ukrainian forces reportedly repulsed 13 enemy raids, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' daily report. However, it provided no particulars.
In his daily video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he had discussions on Chasiv Yar and other hotspots on the front lines with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Army Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi on Sunday.
In a Sunday interview that aired on NBC's "Meet the Press," Mr. Zelenskyy urged Washington, where the U.S. The $60 billion aid package for Ukraine has been passed by the House of Representatives. This will enable the measure to be swiftly signed into law and the arms supply to begin in advance of the expected Russian invasion.
Mr. Zelenskyy asserted, "We are preparing (for an offensive)," restating Mr. Syrskyi's caution that Moscow hopes to seize the Chasiv Yar by May 9, which is one of Russia's biggest public festivals and commemorates Moscow's triumph over Nazi troops in World War II.
After seizing the town of Avdiivka, east of Chasiv Yar, during the winter, Ukraine says it expects Russia to mount a massive attack in the spring and summer.
Last week, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry acknowledged that it had lost some ground in the village in the eastern Donetsk area but refuted claims that Russia had taken control of the whole town of Bohdanivka.
