Ukraine, which seized part of the Kursk region in early August and has held on to it for five months, launched a new offensive there on Sunday but has not provided details of the operation or stated what the objectives are.

Ukraine said on Tuesday its forces were "commencing new offensive actions" in Russia's western Kursk region, in its first substantive remarks two days after Russian reports of a renewed Ukrainian thrust in the area.

Russia has claimed that its forces captured a battered but strategic town in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, a day after Kyiv launched a counterattack in the Russian region of Kursk.

Russia claims that its forces have captured the front-line town of Kurakhove in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region. The town has borne the brunt of Russian advances in recent months and is a stepping-stone to the key logistical hub of Pokrovsk.

Kurakhove is a key stronghold for the Ukrainian army on the eastern front line, and includes an industrial zone, a thermal power plant and a reservoir. It also sit