MOSCOW: Russian Chief of the General Staff, Army General Valery Gerasimov, has reported that Russian forces are advancing along the entire line of contact in the ongoing special military operation in Ukraine. According to him, since the beginning of January, Russian troops have taken control of 17 settlements and secured more than 500 square kilometers of territory.
Briefing after his return from the frontline, Gerasimov stated that the Northern Battlegroup is continuing operations aimed at expanding the security buffer near the border, where four settlements were recently brought under Russian control. In the Kharkov region, the Western Battlegroup reportedly secured the settlement of Kupyansk-Uzlovy, where clearing operations are underway. Fighting is ongoing near Kovsharovka and Glushovka, where approximately 800 Ukrainian servicemen are said to be surrounded in a confined area.
Further south, Russian units are pushing forward along the Robotyne and Krasny Liman axes. Elements of the 20th Army are close to securing the final sections of Drobyshevo, Yarovaya, and Sosnovoye, with Russian authorities claiming control over roughly 90% of residential infrastructure in those areas.
In the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Southern Battlegroup has continued its advance toward Slavyansk, gaining control of Bondarnoye, Zakotnoye, and Privolnoye, while operations near Konstantinovka are ongoing.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Battlegroup has expanded its presence in eastern Zaporozhye, with some units conducting operations aimed at establishing a security zone in the Dnepropetrovsk region. During January, this group reportedly liberated four settlements.
The Dnepr Battlegroup also secured four settlements, and its forward elements are currently positioned approximately 12 to 14 kilometers south and southeast of Zaporozhye city, according to the Russian military.
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