Russian forces have taken control of another settlement in the special military operation zone. Units from the Vostok force grouping established control over the village of Bratskoye in the Dnepropetrovsk region.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense’s operational update released on January 8, units of the Vostok grouping secured Bratskoye as a result of active combat operations.

The advance was carried out by elements of the 36th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 29th Army, part of the Vostok grouping. After taking the village, the units continued to push westward, expanding the buffer zone along the western bank of the Gaichur River. Bratskoye lies roughly 50 kilometers north of Gulyaypole.

During the fighting, Russian troops overran a fortified defensive area held by the opposing side, covering more than nine square kilometers. More than 170 buildings were brought under control in the course of the operation.

The defense of Bratskoye had been organized by units of Ukraine’s 92nd Assault Brigade. In the battles for the settlement, Ukrainian forces suffered losses amounting to dozens of personnel, two armored combat vehicles, over ten robotic platforms, and several heavy «Baba Yaga» hexacopter drones.