A picture taken from social media and shared by the Reuters news agency shows a soldier holding a Russian flag in Kurakhov. The image has not been verified by the BBC.
Viktor Tregubov, a spokesman for the Ukrainian group of troops in Khortytsia, told Reuters that as of Monday morning, Ukrainian forces were still fighting Russian forces in Kurakhov.
Kurakhava and Pokrovsk are connected by roads that are part of the infrastructure for the movement of troops and materials along the front line.
Taking Kurakhava would allow the Russians to go north to attack Pokrovsk from a new direction, according to analyst Roman Pagoryly.
The Russian Defense Ministry also said on Monday that the village of Dachenskoye, located about 8 km south of Pakrovsk, had been captured by its forces.
Kiev’s forces have reportedly been short on manpower and have been losing ground in eastern Ukraine in recent months as Russian forces advance.
