The Russian Defense Ministry announced Friday that its forces had seized the town of Privolye in the Dnipropetrovsk region, as well as Pyshchane and Tikhoye in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.

The ministry said the advances followed intensive operations, including seven large-scale strikes in response to what it described as “Ukrainian terrorist attacks” on civilian targets inside Russia.

It added that the strikes involved Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and combat drones, marking a new escalation in the ongoing conflict despite international efforts to de-escalate.