Russia claims control of Stavky, Novoselivka, and Maslyakivka in Donetsk, plus a Dnipropetrovsk village, tightening pressure on Pokrovsk without Kyiv confirmation.
Talks focus on Trump's concession-laden ceasefire plan; Putin endorses but threatens escalation, Zelenskyy demands changes by November 27 deadline.
Incremental gains exploit Ukraine's ammo shortages, risking Donbas encirclements as DeepState maps show southern flanks crumbling under sustained assaults.
Russia's Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that its troops had captured three additional villages in the Donetsk region along with another settlement in the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region, continuing their methodical push through Ukraine's eastern frontlines near the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk. Kyiv has not confirmed the claims, maintaining its policy of silence on tactical retreats to avoid aiding Russian propaganda, but independent mapping by the Ukrainian DeepState blog indicates Russian advances inching southward toward Pokrovsk's center, where evacuation orders have intensified amid relentless artillery and drone assaults.
These small but symbolically charged gains exemplify Moscow's attritional strategy, grinding down Ukrainian defenses through superior numbers and firepower as winter sets in, potentially paving the way for broader encirclements in the Donbas by early 2026.
The developments unfold against the backdrop of urgent multilateral talks in Geneva, where US, Ukrainian, and European envoys are scrutinizing President Donald Trump's proposed peace framework, which includes freezing current frontlines and conceding Crimea plus Donbas enclaves to Russia in exchange for demilitarization and security pacts.
With a November 27 deadline looming for Kyiv's response, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pushed for revisions to strip out what he deems "Russian wish-list" elements, while Vladimir Putin has hailed the plan as a "peace foundation" but warned of accelerated offensives if rejected, using these village seizures as implicit bargaining chips.
