Russia on Saturday said it had captured six villages in Ukraine’s east after launching a surprise ground offensive that prompted mass evacuations. The defence ministry said its troops had “liberated” five villages in the Kharkiv region near the border with Russia Borisivka, Ogirtseve, Pletenivka, Pylna and Strilecha “as a result of offensive actions”. The village of Keramik in the Donetsk region was also now under Russian control, it said.
