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SHOTLIST:

KHARKIV, UKRAINE (RELEASED ON NOV. 17, 2025) (RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY – RESTRICTED)

1. AERIAL FOOTAGE SHOWS TWO RUSSIAN SOLDIERS HOLDING RUSSIAN FLAG ON TOP OF DAMAGED BUILDING’S WINDOW IN DVORICHANSKE VILLAGE

KHARKIV, UKRAINE - RELEASED ON NOV. 17: Russia claimed on Monday (Nov. 17) that it took control of three settlements in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow continues an offensive amid the over three-and-a-half-year Russia-Ukraine ongoing war.

A statement by the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its forces in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region took control of the village of Dvorichanske, situated about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border.

Dvorichanske is also about 37 kilometers (23 miles) north of the frontline town of Kupiansk, where intense clashes are taking place between Russian and Ukrainian forces for control over the settlement.

The statement further claimed that its forces in the eastern Donetsk region captured the village of Platonivka, located about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) east of the city of Sloviansk, one of Ukraine’s last strongholds in the region other than Kramatorsk, the region’s administrative center since Moscow captured Donetsk city in 2014.

It claimed that Russian forces in the Dnipropetrovsk region also took control of the village of Hai, situated about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) north of the village of Vyshneve, which Moscow claimed to have captured late last month.

Earlier, Ukraine’s General Staff claimed that its forces repelled six attacks near three settlements during the past day on the South Slobozhansk front, including Dvorichanske. It also claimed repelling Russian assaults on the Sloviansk and Oleksandrivka fronts.

However, Ukrainian authorities have not immediately commented on Russia’s recent claims, and independent verification of the claims is difficult due to the ongoing war.