Russia says its forces advance in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region

MOSCOW, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Russian forces have advanced in the east of Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, taking the village of Novoheorhiivka close to the Donetsk region, Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday.

Russian forces said in July they had taken their first village in Dnipropetrovsk. U.S. estimates of the battlefield suggest Russian forces control less than 1% of the region.

Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five regions of Ukraine that Russia has claimed as its own territory.

Ukraine's battlefield-mapping project DeepState showed that Russian troops were at least 1-2 kilometres from Novoheorhiivka as of Tuesday.

There was no public comment from the Ukrainian military. It usually does not comment on Russian claims of incremental territorial gains.

"Soldiers of the 57th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade pushed out the enemy from Novoheorhiivka in the Dnipropetrovsk region," Russia's defence ministry said.

Reuters could not independently confirm the report.

Russia controls nearly 114,500 square km (44,600 square miles) or 19% of Ukraine, including Crimea and a major chunk of territory in the east and southeast of the country, according to open source maps of the battlefield.

Russia's defence ministry also said its forces had hit port infrastructure used to supply fuel to Ukrainian forces and a plant used to assemble drones.

The statement did not name the port. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said earlier that Russia had struck a gas distribution station in the southwestern region of Odesa.

Russia's defence ministry also said its forces had captured the settlements of Pankivka and Sukhetse in eastern Ukraine.