The Russian army on Monday announced its control over a new village in the Zaporizhzhia region, south of Ukraine, as its forces continue their gradual advance in the eastern part of the country. In a statement, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation said that its troops had taken control of the village of Levadne in Zaporizhzhia and established more advantageous positions. Back in June 2023, Ukrainian forces had regained control of this village during a counteroffensive against Russian troops. In September 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin officially announced the annexation of the Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia region to Russia based on the results of a referendum conducted by Moscow, a move condemned by several Western countries. Bordering the Black Sea, Zaporizhzhia had a population of 1.63 million before the start of the conflict and is home to the country's largest nuclear power plant overlooking the Dnieper River. Russian and Ukrainian reports regarding the facts on the ground have conflict ed since the start of the Russian military operation against Ukraine in February 2022. Source: Qatar News Agency