The Russian military announced today the capture of a new settlement in eastern Ukraine, Khanyfka, as Ukrainian forces struggle to halt Russia’s advance in this area of the front.

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that it captured this settlement, which is located less than ten kilometers south of Kurakhove, a city near an important lithium mine, a rare mineral.

This announcement comes the day after Russian President Vladimir Putin praised his troops, stating they “have the initiative across the entire front line.”

The Russian army has captured 189 Ukrainian settlements in 2024, Putin said in a speech delivered to senior officials of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The Ukrainian army, facing a shortage of manpower and equipment, has been on the defensive for a year. Since the autumn, its forces have been retreating faster and faster.

According to Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Russia has captured 4,500 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory this year and is now advancing “30 square kilometers per day.”

The Russian military is primarily targeting the cities of Kurakhove and Pokrovsk on the eastern front.

Both the Russians and the Ukrainians seem to be doing everything they can to strengthen their positions on the battlefield before Donald Trump returns to the White House in January, with the elected U.S. president having pledged that he wants to stop the “carnage” as soon as he takes office.