Russia seizes two villages in central Ukraine; raids kill 6

Russia on Saturday said it had wrested two villages in Ukraine, including one in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, marking a fresh advance into an area largely spared seizures of land since Moscow launched its offensive in 2022.Overnight strikes by both sides meanwhile claimed six lives -- four in central Ukraine and two in western Russia, according to officials in both countries.The Russian army said its forces had "liberated the settlement of Maliyevka" in Dnipropetrovsk weeks after it seized the first village in the region -- not one of the Ukrainian territories annexed by Russia.In a separate message on Saturday, Moscow said it had "liberated the settlement of Zeleny Gai" in Donetsk region on the border with Dnipropetrovsk, adding that it was an important stronghold used by Ukraine to protect the area.Further north in Kharkiv, a Russian strike destroyed a large boiler room that will be impossible to repair before winter, while in Sumy, another strike hit a regional administration building, local authorities said. Supported by swarms of drones, Russia gains new settlements almost daily, but they are normally reduced to rubble and emptied of inhabitants after months of fighting. The summer offensive comes despite a call from the US for peace talks.