The Russian Defense Ministry claimed Tuesday it had taken the Ukrainian town of Selydove, southeast of the key city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.

Russian forces have been advancing on Selydove in the last several weeks, according to frontline reports. It’s part of Russia’s ongoing assault and incremental territorial gains in eastern Ukraine.

Selydove was an important staging area for Ukraine’s defenses and a key foothold to prevent Russia’s advance toward Pokrovsk.

Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on Russia’s claims of control.

On Sunday, a spokesman for a Ukrainian national guard brigade fighting in Selydove told CNN the town had been “constantly attacked from several directions” for a week.

“[Russia] continues to assault with very large troop numbers. They used reserves from the north of the frontline’s Pokrovsk section to increase pressure on Selydove,” 15th brigade national guard spokesman Vitaliy Milovidov said.

“At the same time, the enemy is not destroying the city’s infrastructure,” he added. “Most likely, they want to keep the town as a foothold for themselves in the future. Selydove is a large town where you can accommodate a large number of people and hide equipment.”

Video released by Russian state media TASS on Tuesday reportedly shows troops raising the Russian flag in Selydove.

Russia also continued aerial assaults on Ukrainian cities overnight into Tuesday.

At least nine Ukrainian people were killed and 46 injured across the country as Russian forces attacked the cities of Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and the capital Kyiv. In the Odesa region, a 71-year-old man was killed by falling debris following an intercepted Russian missile strike launched by a fighter jet from the Black Sea.

In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, a Russian bomb destroyed much of the Derzhprom building, one of the most celebrated landmarks, which is considered a cultural monument due to its modernist architecture.

(Source: CNN)