The Russian military claimed to have made advances in eastern Ukraine, while authorities in Kyiv said the Kremlin’s forces continued their relentless attacks on the regional center of Kherson on October 27, killing at least two civilians.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, again threatened that the Kremlin would “respond” if Kyiv’s Western allies allowed Ukraine to use long-range weapons deep inside its territory.
"It's too early to say yet, but, of course, our military department is thinking about it and will offer various responses," Putin told state TV in remarks broadcast on October 27.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been pressing Western partners for permission to use long-range missiles deeper inside Russia to target sites used to launch attacks against Ukrainian cities.
Western allies have so far been reluctant to allow such use outside of the border region for fear of igniting a wider conflict that could involve Russian and NATO forces.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said army units "liberated” the settlement of Izmaylivka, a Ukrainian village of some 200 people north of the industrial hub of Kurakhove in the Donetsk region.
That area in eastern Ukraine has been the focus of recent Russian drives along the front lines of its full-scale invasion, which has struggled to make significant progress through nearly 33 bloody months of battles.
SEE ALSO: Ukraine Live Briefing: Merkel Defends Stance On NATO Membership For KyivIn the regional center of Kherson, Ukrainian authorities reported stepped up Russian drone and rocket attacks in and around the city of 280,000 people.
Regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on Telegram on October 27 that one person was killed and a 45-year-old man was hospitalized after Russian shells hit near the city's post office.
Earlier in the day, Kherson authorities said a 71-year-old resident was killed and at least five injured in a Russian drone attack.
In its October 27 daily briefing, the Ukrainian military said the "situation at the front remains difficult [with] the enemy using its superiority in manpower and equipment."
It also said the Ukrainian military "over the past day" had "neutralized four tanks, 23 armored combat vehicles, 39 artillery systems, 73 UAVs of operational and tactical level, 100 cars, and a unit of special equipment."
It also claimed that Russian forces had lost 1,440 soldiers, although it did not specify if they were killed, wounded, or captured.
The claims could not immediately be verified, and neither side generally speaks about the numbers of soldiers or amount of equipment lost.