Russia announced on Sunday that its forces have taken full control of Novohrodivka, a city in eastern Ukraine, as they attempt to breach Ukrainian defensive lines towards Pokrovsk. Russian forces, which have controlled about a fifth of Ukraine since the invasion in February 2022, are advancing in eastern Ukraine in an attempt to capture the entire Donbas region, Reuters reports.

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that its forces have seized Novohrodivka, located 12 km from Pokrovsk, a crucial railway and road hub for Ukrainian forces in the area. Before the war, the city had a population of 14,000.

Yuriy Podolyaka, a pro-Russian military blogger born in Ukraine, has posted maps showing Russian forces attacking from Novohrodivka at least two locations less than 7 km from Pokrovsk. The Ukrainian General Staff reported on Sunday evening details of the fighting across the Pokrovsk area, including Novohrodivka.

It noted that 29 attempts at Russian advancement were repelled, with seven skirmishes ongoing. However, in an interview with Radio Free Europe, funded by the U.S., a Ukrainian officer stated that Ukrainian forces withdrew from Novohrodivka because the positions there were not favorable for defense.

The popular Ukrainian war blog DeepState reports that Russian forces have taken the village of Nevelske to the southeast. Reuters could not immediately verify battlefield reports from either side due to reporting restrictions in the war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated last week that the Ukrainian incursion into the Russian Kursk region did not slow Russia’s progress in eastern Ukraine and weakened Kyiv’s defense along the front line towards Moscow.

On the other hand, Ukraine’s top military commander said on Thursday that the incursion into Kursk is functioning as intended. He mentioned that one of the goals of the Kursk incursion was to divert Russian forces from other areas, particularly from Pokrovsk and Kurakhove.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Kursk operation was also meant to prevent Russian forces from crossing the border in the opposite direction.

Russia Attacks Kyiv for the Fifth Time Since Early September

The Kyiv Military Administration reported a fifth attack by Russian drones since early September. It was stated that air defense forces destroyed all unmanned aerial vehicles that posed a threat to Kyiv.

Kyiv Military Administration Chief Serhii Popko said this was the fifth attack on Kyiv since early September. “The Russian military again used drones launched from the Kursk region last night. Strike munitions arrived in Kyiv after midnight in several waves,” he noted.

He added that the air raid alert was in effect for over an hour. He mentioned that all Russian drones posing a threat to Kyiv were destroyed by air defense forces on the outskirts of the capital.

Russian Drone Crashes on NATO Territory

The President of Latvia said on Sunday that a Russian military drone crashed on its territory, adding that airspace violations have increased along NATO’s eastern borders, AFP reports.

The Baltic state, once ruled by the Soviet Union but now a member of the European Union and NATO, has had strained relations with Moscow since gaining independence, with ties worsening further since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“Russian military drone… crashed yesterday in eastern Latvia. An investigation is underway,” President Edgars Rinkevičs said on social media platform X. “We are in close contact with our allies.

The number of such incidents is rising along NATO’s eastern flank, and we must address them together,” he added. Latvia’s Ministry of Defense stated that the drone entered the country’s airspace from Belarus and crashed in the Rezekne municipality.

“This situation confirms that we must continue our work on strengthening Latvia’s eastern border, including developing air defense capabilities and electronic warfare capabilities to limit the activities of unmanned aerial vehicles for various purposes,” said Defense Minister Andris Spruds.

Another NATO member, Romania, also reported on Sunday that a Russian attack drone targeting civilian infrastructure in neighboring Ukraine entered its airspace during the night. Bucharest condemned the “renewed violation” caused by Moscow’s “illegal attacks.” Since initiating its invasion, Russia has frequently conducted nighttime attacks on cities across Ukraine, often targeting ports in the southern Odesa region following the withdrawal from the grain export agreement.

Poland has also recorded at least two instances of its airspace being breached by Russian missiles or drones attacking Ukraine, most recently in December, reports RSE. Russia’s military actions in eastern Ukraine and incursions into neighboring NATO territories underscore the ongoing volatility of the conflict and its far-reaching implications for regional security.