Russian troops from the Center group of forces have liberated the city of Belitskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

During the fighting, Russian units struck formations from two Ukrainian mechanized brigades, a jaeger brigade, an assault brigade, two marine brigades and two National Guard brigades. The clashes took place near Sergeyevka, Gruzskoye, Novotroitskoye, Svetloye, Novogrigorovka, Novonikolayevka and Rubezhnoye in the DPR, as well as near Ivanovka in the Dnepropetrovsk Region.

According to the ministry, Ukrainian forces lost up to 350 servicemen, two armored combat vehicles, 13 motor vehicles and two artillery pieces. Russian troops also destroyed two electronic warfare stations, an electronic intelligence system and a US-made AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radar.

Military correspondent Alexander Kots said street fighting for Belitskoye had continued since winter. Ukrainian troops had turned School No. 10, a nursing home and apartment blocks in the eastern part of the city into their main defensive strongpoints. The settlement of Vodyanskoye, which is administratively part of Belitskoye, also served as a major defensive position.

Kots assessed that the capture of these areas weakens the southern defensive line around Dobropolye and allows Russian forces to consolidate their bridgehead in this sector. The city is now being enveloped from the south along the Belitskoye-Vodyanskoye line and from the southeast through Novy Donbass.

The next key objective is access to the T-0514 Dobropolye-Kramatorsk road. According to Kots, control of Dobropolye would also open a westward route toward the Druzhkovka-Kramatorsk-Slavyansk line.