Russia Announces Capture of Two Ukrainian Villages Right After Summit With U.S.

"About 1,000 Ukrainian Soldiers 'Eliminated'"

Russia announced that it had captured two villages in eastern Ukraine just hours after the conclusion of the Alaska summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Soldiers of the 42nd Mechanized Brigade of Ukraine. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

On the 16th (local time), the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Russian forces had "liberated" the village of Kolodyazi (Russian name: Kolodezi) in Donetsk Oblast and the village of Vorone (Russian name: Voronoye) in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, both located in eastern Ukraine.

Even on the 15th, while President Trump and President Putin were holding their summit in Alaska, Russia's offensive against Ukraine continued. Although the summit was intended to seek a resolution to the conflict in Ukraine, the two leaders failed to reach a ceasefire agreement.

The Russian Ministry of Defense also announced that, over the past 24 hours, Russian forces had "eliminated" a total of about 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers.

According to AFP, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched 85 attack drones and one ballistic missile overnight, and that air defenses shot down 61 of the drones.