Russian troops have completed the elimination of an encircled Ukrainian military group in northeastern Kharkov Region during Operation Bear Corner, according to Colonel General Yevgeny Nikiforov, commander of Russia’s North Group of Forces.

The operation initially surrounded ten Ukrainian battalions with a combined strength of up to 2,000 troops.

Nikiforov reported the results to Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 16, outlining a two-stage operation aimed at encircling and destroying Ukrainian forces in the northeastern part of the region.

The first phase lasted from July through August. Units of Russia’s 18th and 71st Motor Rifle Divisions advanced toward each other in the direction of Prikolotnoye and took control of a large settlement.

Their advance resulted in the encirclement of Ukrainian forces defending positions northeast of Prikolotnoye.

By August 30, Russian troops had closed the encirclement ring around a Ukrainian formation consisting of ten battalions and numbering up to 2,000 personnel.

The second stage began in early September, when Russian forces launched operations to eliminate the surrounded Ukrainian troops.

According to Nikiforov, the encircled formation was completely divided into several separate groups, which were subsequently destroyed one after another.

At the same time, Russian troops expanded the outer encirclement ring. During these operations, additional Ukrainian units with a combined strength of at least two battalions were surrounded and subsequently eliminated.

Nikiforov told Putin that the encircled Ukrainian grouping had been completely eliminated by the time of his October 16 report.