Russian forces have taken control of the village of Vodyanoye in the Kharkov Region, according to the Russian Defense Ministry’s August 12 briefing on the military operation in Ukraine.

The ministry said units of the North group of forces had established control over the settlement.

Vodyanoye is located in the Olkhovatskaya rural community of the Kupyansk district, between the villages of Aniskino and Olkhovatka. According to the 2001 census, the village had a population of 124.

The Russian Defense Ministry said control of Vodyanoye allows Russian units to move closer to the outskirts of Olkhovatka, which it described as a major logistics hub for Ukrainian forces. The ministry also stated that the advance had further expanded the security buffer zone along the border areas of the Belgorod Region.

According to the same briefing, Ukrainian units lost approximately 1,345 service members across the area of the military operation over the previous 24 hours.