Russian forces have taken control of the settlement of Vodyane in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, Russia's defence ministry said on Friday.

Reuters could not independently verify the ministry's statement, the latest of several claimed advances by Russian forces since they took nearby Avdiivka in February after months of fighting.

Ukrainian defenders are trying to dig in, but they face shortages of artillery rounds, with U.S. aid stuck in Congress for months.

Earlier on Friday Russia's state-run RIA news agency cited an official as saying Russian troops had entered the suburbs of Chasiv Yar, further north near Bakhmut.

The Ukrainian military acknowledged the battlefield situation near Chasiv Yar was tense, but denied Russian advances in the town. REUTERS