Russia Claims Control over Town of Makiivka in Donbas
The Russian defense ministry’s claim coincided with the two-year anniversary of its effective annexation of four regions of eastern and southeastern Ukraine.
Russia’s defense ministry announced that Russian forces have seized the town of Makiivka in the eastern Luhansk region during its daily briefing on Sept. 29.
Officials in Kyiv have not yet responded to the Russian assertions, which The Epoch Times was unable to independently confirm.
If true, the capture of Makiivka (known as Makeyevka in Russian) would bring Moscow closer to controlling the entire Donbas region, where Russian forces have made significant gains recently.
Gaining control of Donbas has been a key objective for Russia since its invasion of eastern Ukraine in early 2022.
Seven months after the initial invasion, Moscow effectively annexed Luhansk and Donetsk, along with the southeastern areas of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, which together form the Russian-speaking Donbas region.
On the second anniversary of the annexations, Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to them as a “momentous event.”
“All our goals will be achieved,” Putin stated in a video address.
Makiivka is located approximately 35 miles southeast of Kupiansk, the administrative capital of Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, where Kyiv claims to have repelled a significant Russian attack last week.
According to the ministry, Ukrainian drone operators in Kupiansk “destroyed and damaged 40 Russian vehicles, including 13 tanks and over a dozen infantry fighting vehicles.”
Kyiv also claimed success on the morning of Sept. 30, stating that Ukrainian air defenses successfully defended the capital against multiple Russian drone attacks.
Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, reported that all incoming drones were either shot down by Ukrainian air defenses or neutralized by electronic jamming systems, causing no human or material damage.
Popko shared this information on the Telegram messaging platform.
The Russian defense ministry did not mention the reported drone attack in its daily briefing for Sept. 30.
Russians ‘Mopping Up’ Kursk
Over the weekend, Russia’s defense ministry stated that its forces had thwarted renewed efforts by Ukrainian troops and armored vehicles to enter the western Kursk region.
The ministry claimed that Russian troops, with air and artillery support, had foiled multiple Ukrainian attempts near the border village of Novy Put, resulting in injuries or fatalities for 50 Ukrainian troops and the destruction of at least one tank.
Novy Put is situated about 50 miles west of Sudzha, a critical transit point for Russian natural gas.
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According to Moscow, Ukraine has suffered over 18,000 casualties in Kursk, along with the loss of numerous tanks and armored vehicles, since the start of its cross-border offensive almost two months ago.
The Epoch Times could not independently verify the claims made by either side on the battlefield.
Reuters contributed to this report.
