Russian forces have taken control of Nikanorovka and Gruzskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Nikanorovka was captured by troops from the Yug Group of Forces, while units of the Tsentr Group established control over Gruzskoye.

Over the past week, Ukrainian forces operating in the Tsentr sector lost more than 2,685 servicemen, 18 armored combat vehicles, 80 vehicles and eight field artillery guns. Six electronic warfare stations were also destroyed.

In the Yug sector, Ukrainian losses over the same period exceeded 1,365 troops. Russian forces also destroyed 20 armored combat vehicles, 181 vehicles and 17 field artillery pieces.

Nikanorovka lies on the Belenkaya River, around three kilometers west of Yurkovka, whose capture was reported by the Russian Defense Ministry on June 19. Malinovka, which came under Russian control on June 30, is located about 3.5 kilometers to the south. The northern outskirts of Kramatorsk are roughly seven kilometers away.

War correspondent Alexander Kots said that Russian troops advancing toward Kramatorsk still face Vasilevskaya Pustosh and Belenkoye. In his assessment, control over these areas would allow Russian forces to block Kramatorsk from the east and northeast.

Kots identified the N20 highway linking Kramatorsk and Slavyansk as the first objective in this sector. He said a strike toward the road would separate the garrisons of the two cities and split the urban agglomeration.

Gruzskoye is located on the Gruzskaya River, about 3.5 kilometers from Kucherov Yar, whose capture was reported by the Defense Ministry on August 24. The village lies roughly midway between Druzhkovka and Dobropolye.

Both cities remain under Ukrainian control and, according to Kots, are among the objectives of the Tsentr Group of Forces.

Russian units have approached Dobropolye from the south, east and northeast, while the advance toward Druzhkovka is developing from the southwest. The capture of Dobropolye, as previously noted, would free up forces for further operations toward Druzhkovka, Kramatorsk and Slavyansk from the west.

Kots suggested that the capture of Gruzskoye and nearby settlements may be aimed at creating a connecting corridor between the two main axes, which could later be used to redeploy troops.