The Russian Defence Ministry claimed on Tuesday that it thwarted attacks by 'Ukrainian terrorist formations' after they attempted to enter its territory from three directions.
Avdiivka marks the biggest gain for Moscow since it captured the city of Bakhmut last year and is an indication of how the war appears to have turned in Putin's favour, as reported by CNN.
The inquiry, overseen by the Ukraine prosecutor general's office, comes in the wake of a video shared by the Ukrainian government on social media, depicting the incident near an observation post outside the village of Stepove near Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.
The attack targeted critical infrastructure, including the historic Odesa Fine Arts Museum, and raised concerns about escalating tensions in the region.
The Ukrainian Donetsk Region Prosecutor's Office shared distressing images of the gruesome crime scene, depicting multiple family members fatally shot while they were in their beds, still holding each other, with bloodstains splattered on the walls.
Russian forces launched a drone attack and damaged a port on the Danube River in Ukraine's southern Odesa region overnight, a Ukrainian official said on Wednesday.
Zelenskyy while speaking alongside Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, said: "Without long-range weapons, it is difficult not only to carry out an offensive mission but to be honest also to conduct a defensive operation."
The defence official Hanna Maliar in a Telegram post said: "Fierce fighting is taking place there. The enemy is attacking Bilohorivka and Serebrianka."
In a Telegram post, Hanna Maliar said offensive operations in the Berdiansk and Melitopol directions in the Zaporizhzhia region have liberated the communities of Novodarivka, Levadne, Storozheve, Makarivka, Blahodatne, Lobkove, Neskuchne and Piatykhatky.