Russia said Friday its forces had “improved” their offensive positions around two settlements near the town of Kupiansk in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region.
Kupiansk and the surrounding areas of Kharkiv were recaptured by Kyiv’s forces in September but Moscow has since pushed back on the region.
The Russian defense ministry said its forces had “improved the tactical situation” on the front line near Vilshana and Pershotravneve.
Separately, it said its forces had struck a temporary base for foreign mercenaries in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, without providing further details.
Kyiv said Russia had struck a hotel in the city on Thursday, killing one person.
The United Nations said its staff and other organizations frequently used the hotel, which they used as a base for their travel to the city.