In a statement issued on Saturday, the ministry said the information was based on a report by Pyotr Bolgarev, who commands Russian forces operating in the eastern part of the country.
However, Russia’s Defence Ministry did not disclose the names of the 19 areas it claimed had been captured.
The ministry also said Russian forces had recently taken control of the Rybalskoye area in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Russia’s advance on the battlefield has slowed this year, even as Moscow has intensified its use of ballistic missiles in attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had retaken 745 square kilometres of territory previously controlled by Russia since the beginning of the year.
Zelenskyy said the recaptured territory was mainly in southeastern areas where fighting between the two sides continues.
The competing claims come as both Russia and Ukraine continue to report battlefield gains, with independent verification of territorial changes remaining difficult amid ongoing fighting.
