Russia says its forces advance towards key city in eastern Ukraine

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia said on Thursday that its forces had taken control of a village in eastern Ukraine that is just 16 km (10 miles) from the important city of Pokrovsk, which sits abreast of major roads that supply Ukrainian forces in the area.

Ukraine's surprise attack on Russia's Kursk region on Aug. 6 has been seen by military analysts as an attempt to force Russia to divert forces from the Ukrainian front.

But Russia's defence ministry said that Russian forces had clocked up a host of wins along the front, from Kharkhiv region to Luhansk and Donetsk.

It said Russia had taken the village of Ivanivka, part of a clear push to get to the road from Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. It said Russian units had defeated Ukrainian forces in a series of battles in the region.

Reuters could not independently verify battlefield calms from either side.

Ukraine said there was no sign Russian military pressure was receding along the eastern front inside its borders on Thursday, more than a week after its incursion into Russia, and reported the heaviest fighting in weeks near Pokrovsk.

(Reporting by Maxim Rodionov; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)