Russia on Friday said its forces had taken full control of the strategic town of Konstantinovka in the Donetsk region, while Ukraine said it had carried out drone strikes on two Russian military airfields in Crimea.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian troops had captured Konstantinovka, a claim that Ukraine had not responded to. The Russian Defense Ministry on Friday released video footage which it said showed Russian forces in control of the town.
According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a command post of the joint forces also on Friday and said the capture of Konstantinovka marked an important first step toward seizing the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk defensive hub.
Putin also said Russian forces had recently completed the takeover of the Lugansk region and now held the strategic initiative along the front line.
Ukraine's Security Service said on Friday that its drones had struck two Russian military airfields in Crimea, damaging at least seven aircraft, according to preliminary information. Russia had not yet commented on the claim.
Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) said the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant had again lost its off-site power supply, marking the 21st such outage since the escalation of the Ukraine crisis.
The plant's emergency diesel generators have started operation to supply electricity for reactor cooling and other essential nuclear safety systems.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi urged all parties to exercise maximum military restraint to prevent a nuclear accident.
Russia claims capture of key Donetsk town, Ukraine reports drone strikes on Crimea airfields
