Russia says it captured Ukrainian town; fighting continues in Kursk

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Monday it had made an important advance in eastern Ukraine but Russian war bloggers said Moscow's forces were continuing to fend off a major Ukrainian attack inside western Russia.

The Russian defence ministry said its forces had captured the town of Kurakhove which lies 32 km (20 miles) south of Pokrovsk, an important Ukrainian logistics hub towards which Russia has been advancing for months.

At the same time, Russian war bloggers said Ukraine was attacking inside Russia's Kursk region for a second day on Monday, with one describing the situation as worrying.

Ukraine began a new offensive on Sunday in Kursk, where its forces broke across the border on Aug. 6 and for the past five months have resisted Russian attempts to expel them.

Russia's defence ministry said its forces beat back the first Ukrainian attacks on Sunday just north of a highway running towards regional capital Kursk.

But Russian military bloggers - a group of war correspondents and experts who, while supporting Moscow's effort, have often criticised its shortcomings - said fierce fighting was continuing for a second day.

"The morning in the Kursk region is starting off worryingly again. It is obvious that yesterday's failure will not stop the enemy and he will try to impose his will on us again today," one blogger, Yuri Podolyaka, posted on Telegram.

Russia controls about a fifth of Ukraine after nearly three years of war, but Ukraine's unexpected success in biting off and retaining a slice of Russian territory could boost its negotiating position as both sides gear up for possible peace talks this year.

Both have been striving to improve their battlefield positions before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20. Trump has repeatedly said he will bring a quick end to the war, but without saying how.

(Reporting by Mark Trevelyan and Maxim Rodionov; Editing by Bernadette Baum)