Russia’s Defense Ministry is claiming that its troops in eastern Ukraine have captured the town of Kurakhove after a months-long battle.

Russia said Monday its forces had captured the "important logistics hub" of Kurakhove in eastern Ukraine in what would be a key advance after months of steady gains in the area.It called the town "an important logistics hub" and said its capture would allow Russian forces to seize the rest of the Donetsk region "at an accelerated pace".

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,

The Russian Defense Ministry described Kurakhove as a "fortified area" and "key logistics hub," while Ukraine's military reported ongoing combat there on Jan. 6. Read also: Kurakhove turns into a battlefield graveyard for Russian troops Russian forces are conducting assaults in Kurakhove and advancing toward Petropavlivka and Dachny,

Kurakhove sector as Russia "conducts assault operations in the urban area of Kurakhove in the direction of Petropavlivka and Dachne." "Measures are underway to identify and destroy Russian assault groups trying to infiltrate our battle formations,