Russia said on Monday it had made an important advance in eastern Ukraine although Russian war bloggers said Moscow's forces were continuing to fend off a Ukrainian attack inside Russia itself. The Russian defence ministry said its forces had captured the town of Kurakhove,

Ukrainian forces have gone on the offensive in the Kursk region of Russia, Ukrainian and Russian officials said Sunday, in what appeared to be an effort to regain the initiative there as they struggle to thwart relentless Russian assaults across eastern Ukraine.