Moscow said it had captured a village near the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka.

The Russian Defense Ministry said troops had "liberated" the village of Pervomaiske in the Donetsk region.

Pervomaiske lies to the south of the largely destroyed industrial town of Avdiivka, which Russia fully captured in the middle of February.

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine denied the Russian claims while acknowledging fierce fighting in the area.

"Enemy assault groups reached outside the outskirts of the place at night. Bohdanivka is now under the control of the defense forces," Kyiv said.