Afrasianet - Russian forces are advancing in eastern Ukraine at the fastest pace since the early days of the war, analysts and bloggers said, while Kiev said Russia overnight launched a record number of drone attacks.

According to the same source, Russian forces seized territory in Donetsk in November equivalent to half the size of Greater London.

Independent Russian media group Agnetstevo said the Russian military last week seized 235 square kilometers inside Ukraine, setting a record for this year.

The group, based on data from the Deep State Group, which is linked to the Ukrainian military, added that Russian forces last month captured 600 square kilometers.

According to military maps, the acceleration of Russian progress in eastern Ukraine began last July, and this acceleration continued despite the incursion of Ukrainian forces in early August into  the Kursk province  in western Russia.

Reuters quoted military analysts as saying that Russian forces were advancing inside the strategic city of Kurakhov (west of Donetsk, the administrative capital of the province, parts of which Russia controls) towards the city of Pokrovsk, which is a logistics hub.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War and Russian bloggers said Russian troops had already entered the city of Korakhov, while the Deep State Telegram group said on Monday that they were stationed near the city.

For its part, the Ukrainian General Staff spoke yesterday of heavy fighting near Korakhov.

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said in a recent report that the Russian military has recently begun advancing faster than it did in the whole of 2023.

According to analysts, the Russians are exploiting the fragility of Ukrainian defenses along the front line of eastern and southeastern Ukraine.

Reuters pointed to statements by Russian and Western officials who said that the war has entered a stage that may be the most dangerous after Russia made the largest field gains, and the United States gave a green light to Ukraine to hit the Russian depth with long-range missiles.

Given the numerical superiority of Russian forces, Ukrainian forces are struggling along the front line, and Ukrainian officials have repeatedly acknowledged the difficult situation in the east.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky  said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin's real goals  were to control the entire Donbas region (which includes the Donetsk and Lugansk regions) and expel Ukrainian troops from Kursk.

Also on the ground, the Ukrainian military announced on Tuesday that Russia launched last night a record number of drone attacks, which led to damage to vital buildings and facilities.

The Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement that Russian forces launched 188 Iranian-made Shahid drones and other unknown types, noting that 76 of them were shot down.

Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said late on Monday that the city was under constant attack by Russian drones from different directions.

Ukrainian authorities issued warnings of air strikes in Kiev, the surrounding area and most of Ukrainian territory.

On the other hand, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday that its air defenses destroyed 39 Ukrainian drones last night over 7 regions in Russia.

The ministry said via Telegram that 24 Ukrainian marches had been destroyed over the Rostov region in southern Russia.

On the other hand, the Russian military said it captured  a British mercenary named "James Scott" in the Russian region of Kursk, after defeating his entire unit. His unit includes dozens of NATO mercenaries from France, Britain and the United States. On the other hand, the Russian Information Agency quoted a security source that Russian forces arrested a British "mercenary" fighting with the Ukrainian army in the Russian province of Kursk.

The source said in remarks published Sunday that the arrested person calls himself James Scott Reese Anderson, and he is now providing evidence.

In a video posted on Russian Telegram channels, a bearded young man in military uniform appears with his hands apparently tied from behind, while he says in English that his name is James Scott Reese Anderson and that he previously served in the British army.