While it’s my role to assist and provide information, I’m not capable of covering real-time news events or updates since I am not continually updated. It’s always best to review the news from credible sources for the most recent and accurate information.
Still, in terms of general background knowledge, any major advancement into Eastern Ukrainian territory by Russia would be a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict and tension between the two nations. The strategic implications of capturing key towns could include potential threats to infrastructure, control over population centers, and closer military reach to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, thus exposing its potential vulnerabilities.