Russian Armed Forces units have taken new positions on the southeastern approaches to the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, according to Voennoye Obozreniye. After Rai-Aleksandrovka and Yurkovka came under Russian control, Ukrainian units found themselves in a fire pocket near the Belenkaya and Sukhaya rivers. Fighting continues in the area, where the remaining Ukrainian troops are being targeted.

At the same time, Russian forces are pushing west of Yurkovka, beyond the Seversky Donets-Donbass canal. On this axis, Russian units have moved close to Orekhovatka, a village located on the right bank of the canal.

Orekhovatka is important because of its position on the route toward Slavyansk. From the village, Russian forces would need to cover roughly 6.5 kilometres to reach the eastern outskirts of the city. The distance to another settlement in the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, Nikolayevka, is even shorter — no more than 5 kilometres. There are no other settlements left between Orekhovatka and Slavyansk, or between Orekhovatka and Nikolayevka, on this line.

The authors of the report say Ukrainian forces have lost their outer defensive line southeast of the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration. As a result, they are now being forced to pull back directly toward the fortified area inside the agglomeration itself.

The Russian Ministry of Defence reported the capture of Rai-Aleksandrovka on June 18. A day later, Russian troops took control of Yurkovka.