Ukraine's military and the Russian Wagner Group private military group both claimed to control the Blahodatne area in the eastern region of Donetsk on Sunday.
"Units of Ukraine's Defense Forces repelled the attacks on the occupiers in the areas of ... Blahodatne ... in the Donetsk region," the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said in its daily briefing, referring to fighting on Saturday.
It listed another 13 settlements in the Donetsk region where Ukrainian troops had repelled attacks.
Meanwhile, the Wagner Group, designated by the US as a transnational criminal organization, said on the Telegram messaging app that its units were in control of Blahodatne in eastern Donetsk.
DW could not verify the specifics of either side's claims.
Fighting has intensified in the Donetsk region and in particular around Bakhmut, well to the north of Blahodatne.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had described it as "acute" in his video briefing late on Friday.
Here are other updates on the war in Ukraine on Sunday, January 29:
Scholz, Putin would be 'open' to direct phone call
Russian President Vladimir Putin would be open to speaking with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the state RIA Novosti news agency on Sunday.
"For now, there are no agreed talks [with Scholz] in the schedule. Putin has been and remains open to contacts," Peskov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.
The last time that Putin and Scholz spoke by phone was in early December, 2022.
"I will also speak to Putin on the phone again, because it is necessary to talk to each other, " the German chancellor told newspaper Tagesspiegel in an interview published on Sunday.
"But of course it is also clear: as long as Russia continues the war in unchecked aggression, the current situation will not change," Scholz said.
He said he had kept in relatively regular contact with Putin, that the calls had not been impolite in tone, but that they had been far apart in their views.
"You can't have any illusions," Scholz said. "Putin wants to annex parts of his neighboring country by force. And that is absolutely unacceptable."
French President Emmanuel Macron has also made repeated direct contact with Putin since the invasion, sometimes facing criticism from allies for doing so.
US President Joe Biden and Putin held a video call in December.
Ukraine sanctions more Russian, Belarusian firms
Kyiv announced that it had imposed sanctions on 182 Russian and Belarusian companies, as well as three individuals. It was the latest of a series of attempts by President Zelenskiy to sever Belarusian and Russian links to his country.
The sanctioned companies were said to be involved in the transport of goods, vehicle leasing and chemical production, according to the list published by Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.
It includes Russian potash fertilizer producer and exporter Uralkali, Belarus state-owned potash producer Belaruskali, Belarusian Railways, as well as Russia's VTB-Leasing and Gazprombank Leasing both dealing with transport leasing.
"Their assets in Ukraine are blocked, their properties will be used for our defense," Zelenskiy said in a video address.
Pyongyang denies arms dealing with Russia
North Korea has denied providing arms to Russia. It comes after the US said Pyongyang had supplied rockets and missiles to Russia's private military group Wagner, which Washington has labeled a "transnational criminal organization."
Among the evidence, The White House showed US intelligence photographs of Russian rail cars entering North Korea, picking up a load of infantry rockets and missiles, and returning to Russia, according to national security spokesman John Kirby.
Senior North Korean official for US policy, Kwon Jong Gun, said the accusations were a "self-made rumor."
In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency, he warned that the US would face a "really undesirable result" if it persisted in spreading the rumor.
"Trying to tarnish the image of [North Korea] by fabricating a non-existent thing is a grave provocation that can never be allowed and that cannot but trigger its reaction," said Kwon.
Germany's Rheinmetall to boost production
German weapons company Rheinmetall said it was ready to increase the output of tank and artillery munitions, in order to satisfy strong demand in Ukraine and the West.
In an interview with Reuters, CEO Armin Papperger said the company may even start producing HIMARS multiple rocket launchers in Germany.
"We can produce 240,000 rounds of tank ammunition (120mm) per year, which is more than the entire world needs," Papperger said.
Demand for munitions has risen since Russia's invasion of Ukraine due to their frequent use on the battlefield. But demand has also risen as Western militaries backfill their own stocks, bracing for what they see as a heightened threat from Moscow.
Papperger's remarks come ahead of an expected meeting between Germany's defense industry bosses and the country's new defense minister Boris Pistorius.
Rheinmetall makes a range of defense products. The company is famous for manufacturing the 120mm gun of the Leopard 2 tank.
More on the war in Ukraine on dw.com
Russia has announced plans to revamp and expand its military. But are the plans realistic, can they be funded, and could hundreds of thousands of new recruits or conscripts be equipped? DW's Russian language service dug deeper.
This DW video takes a look at the Wagner Group's practice of using convicts promised clemency if they go to the front lines.
And here's more on the Wagner Group and its financiers from Marina Miron, a security analyst and honorary research fellow at King's College London.
The attention may have been on German Leopard 2 tanks and M1 Abrams vehicles from the US, but Morocco also appears to be the first African country sending military equipment to Ukraine. We took a closer look at what would be a change in foreign policy.
You can also read more on the western tank deliveries to Ukraine in recent weeks here.
msh, jcg/dj (AP, Reuters, dpa, AFP)
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