On Wednesday evening, the official representative of the Russian Defense Ministry, Major General Igor Konashenkov, said that Russian troops, developing an offensive, broke through the enemy's well-fortified defenses, crossed the Shaitanka River and are fighting with units of the 53rd mechanized Brigade on the approaches to the settlement of Velikaya Novoselka.
"There is a sweep from the nationalist formations of the settlement of Zolotaya Niva. The advance was 8 kilometers. Up to 50 personnel, three tanks, 5 infantry fighting vehicles, 8 vehicles of various purposes were destroyed in this area," the general said. He added that the LPR units continue to advance on Severodonetsk. Fighting is underway to clean up the settlement of Zhitlovka.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukrainian nationalist battalions are suffering serious losses in the Severodonetsk direction. As a result of the disruption of transport communications, the possibilities for their replenishment are blocked. During the day, more than 50 nationalists, 2 tanks, 3 infantry fighting vehicles and two field warehouses of rocket and artillery weapons were destroyed in this direction.
There is a planned regrouping of troops in the Kiev and Chernihiv directions. Konashenkov said that at the first stage of the special military operation conducted by our Armed Forces in the territory of Donbass and Ukraine, it was planned to force the enemy to concentrate their forces, funds, resources and military equipment to hold large settlements in these areas, including Kiev. "To shackle them on the battlefield and without storming these cities, in order to avoid civilian casualties, to inflict such a defeat on the armed formations of the Kiev regime that would not allow it to use these forces in the main line of action of our Armed Forces - in the Donbas. All these goals have been fulfilled," the general explained.
At the same time, the Russian army, according to him, was solving another task. Its essence was that, in the absence of an influx of fresh enemy forces from the western and central regions of Ukraine, through professional military operations, using the absolute superiority in the air won, also with the help of modern high-precision means of destruction, to create all the necessary conditions for the final stage of the operation to liberate the People's Republics of Donbass.
"For this purpose, a permanent, targeted fire defeat of the long-term defensive fortifications created by the Kiev regime over eight years has been carried out and continues," Konashenkov said. - All the main lines of communication, supply and approach of reserves have been taken under full control. Ukraine's air defense systems, airfield infrastructure, major military depots, training and concentration centers for mercenaries have been destroyed. Work on them continues." The General concluded that in this way all the main tasks of the Russian Armed Forces in the Kiev and Chernihiv directions have been fulfilled.
As for the regrouping of the Russian Armed Forces, its goal, as Konashenkov said, is to intensify actions in priority areas and, above all, to complete the operation for the complete liberation of Donbass.
Yuri Gavrilov
