Russia on Sunday claimed its troops had captured a strategically important town in eastern Ukraine as part of a grinding campaign to weaken Kyiv’s grip on the country’s industrial heartland. A drone view shows Russian service members waving flags on the roof of a building in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in the settlement of Velyka Novosilka in the Donetsk region, a Russian-controlled part of Ukraine, in this still image from video released January 26, 2025. (via REUTERS) Russia’s Defense Ministry announced the fall of Velyka Novosilka, which had around 5,000 residents before the war, following a monthslong battle. Its statement could not be independently verified, and Ukraine claimed its troops had only strategically withdrawn from certain areas. But if confirmed, it would make Velyka Novosilka the first significant town to capitulate in 2025 under Moscow’s onslaught in the eastern Donetsk region against Ukraine’s weary and short-handed army. The war is set to reach its three-year milestone in February. Ukrainian forces withdrew from certain parts of Velyka Novosilka to avoid encirclement, the 110th Separate Mechanized …