The Russian army said it had taken control of Bolohivka in the Kharkiv region, Dronivka and Promin in the Donetsk region, as well as Pershotravneve in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

AFP is unable to independently confirm the claims.

According to a battlefield map published by DeepState, a website run by Ukrainian military analysts, the settlements are still under Ukrainian control.

The frontline settlements are largely devastated by the heavy, prolonged fighting, usually with a few inhabitants left.

Ukraine had recaptured large parts of the Kharkiv region, including Bolohivka, in a swift campaign in autumn 2022, triggering a Russian military draft for the first time since World War II.

In Pershotravneve, Moscow’s forces have made a 4km leap, according to the DeepState map, which may indicate a faster than usual advance in a region largely spared from intensive ground fighting.

Russia has been carrying out numerous attacks in small groups of soldiers to infiltrate Ukrainian defences, avoiding large formations that are vulnerable to drone strikes.

The Ukrainian army said the tactic serves to paralyse supply lines and to swiftly declare presence in settlements by planting a flag there.

The Russian offensive has killed tens of thousands and devastated large swathes of eastern Ukraine, forcing millions to flee their homes.