Units of the Russian Armed Forces have taken control of the settlement of Yarovaya in the Donetsk People’s Republic, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense briefing on the progress of the special military operation released on March 5, 2026.

The ministry reported that fighters from the «Zapad» (West) grouping were involved in the operation that led to the capture of the settlement.

Yarovaya is located in the Kramatorsk district, roughly nine kilometers southwest of the village of Shandrigolovo. The Russian defense ministry had previously reported that the locality came under Russian control on September 29, 2025. Ukrainian sources indicated that about 880 people lived in the settlement in 2024.

The daily briefing also stated that over the past 24 hours, units from the «Zapad» grouping struck positions held by four Ukrainian brigades and one border unit. Fighting was reported near the settlements of Lozovoye, Yatskovka, Rubtsy, Sosnovoye, Svyatogorsk, and Krasny Liman, as well as near Novoegorovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic and Druzhelyubovka in Kharkov Region.

In addition, Russian air defense systems destroyed eight aerial bombs, three HIMARS rockets, and 410 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the same period.

Earlier reports from the Russian defense ministry said that on March 3 Russian forces had taken control of Bobylevka in Sumy Region and Veselyanka in Zaporozhye Region. On March 2, the ministry reported the capture of the settlement of Drobyshevo, the village of Reznikovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, and the locality of Krugloye in Kharkov Region.