Russian Armed Forces Continue Advancing in All Directions - Chief of General Staff
15:46 GMT 18.07.2026 (Updated: 15:49 GMT 18.07.2026)
© Sputnik / Viktor Tolochko
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Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov visited the Zapad battlegroup command, received reports on the operational situation and the results of combat missions, and praised the battlegoup's successes in liberating the Donetsk People's Republic while setting tasks for further actions, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported.
The main points of his statement:
Russian forces continue liberating Donbas and Novorossiya, with offensives underway on all directions
The Zapad battlegroup repelled Ukrainian attempts to break through to the western part of Kupyansk and dislodge Russian forces to the eastern bank of the Oskol River
South of Borovaya, cleanup operations against Ukrainian formations on the eastern bank of the river continue, with fighting ongoing in Podliman
Units of the 25th Army are completing the liberation of Krasny Liman, with organized enemy defense in the city broken
Zapad battlegroup forces are advancing successfully in the "Holy Mountains" national park, destroying enemy formations in Svyatogorsk and Shchurovo
The Yug battlegroup, having liberated Konstantinovka, is advancing toward Druzhkovka, with forward units entering Alexeevo-Druzhkovka
The 3rd Army, advancing toward Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, liberated Piskunovka and reached the outskirts of Nikolayevka
Forward units of the 3rd Army are less than 5 km from the eastern outskirts of Kramatorsk
The Tsentr battlegroup forces are developing an offensive north of Krasnoarmeysk, fighting in Dobropolye and Annovka
The settlement of Lenina has come under Russian control, while the liberation of Shevchenko, Krasnoyarskoye, and Svetloye is nearing completion
