Moscow, July 24 (QNA) - Russia's Ministry of Defense announced today that its forces had captured two villages in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region.

In a statement, the ministry said the advances followed the capture of the settlements in the Kharkiv region on July 21 and July 22, respectively.

The announcement came as Moscow said it had shot down 571 Ukrainian drones overnight across around 15 regions of Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.

The Russia-Ukraine war has continued to escalate with intensified reciprocal attacks. In recent months, Ukraine has stepped up its long-range strikes on targets inside Russian territory. At the same time, Russia has continued launching missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, particularly the capital, Kyiv. (QNA)