Russia Says Captured 6 Villages In Ground Offensive In Ukraine

Ukrainian officials said that the country's forces were resisting but there was heavy fighting in the Kharkiv region near the border.

Russia on Saturday said it had captured six villages in Ukraine's east during a surprise ground offensive that prompted mass evacuations, as President Volodymyr Zelensky made an urgent call for military aid.

The Russian defence ministry said its troops had "liberated" five villages in Ukraine's Kharkiv region near the border with Russia -- Borysivka, 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.