DeepState, a Ukrainian group of military analysts, reported on the evening of 22 May that Russian forces had advanced near two settlements in Donetsk Oblast. Source: DeepState Quote: "The enemy has advanced near Yablunivka and Nadiivka.

Despite talk of renewed diplomacy, Russia and Ukraine have not scheduled further peace negotiations, a Kremlin spokesman said -- even as fresh Russian strikes in the Donetsk region killed two civilians and left others wounded in one of the war’s most violent hotspots.

Russia claimed on Thursday that it took control of another settlement in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, its forces captured the village of Nova Poltavka, situated about 23 kilometers (14 miles) northeast of the city of Pokrovsk, a key front in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.