The village of Novosilske was liberated from Russia in a coordinated Ukrainian assault operation, Luhansk Oblast military administration announced on Dec. 30.
A joint force consisting of the Kraken Special Unit and the 92th Separate Mechanized Brigade conducted a “fiery raid on the occupied village”, with numerous Russian troops taken captive.
“The village is controlled by the Ukrainian army,” the report read.
Novosilske lies 18 kilometers northwest of the key strategic town of Svatove, the focal point of Russia's defense of occupied Luhansk Oblast along with the town of Kreminna further south.
Since Ukrainian reached the administrative border of the oblast in early October, further progress has been much slower as Russia developed an entrenched defensive posture.
According to Serhiy Haidai, head of the Luhansk regional state administration, 13 settlements in Luhansk Oblast have been liberated as of Dec.14.
Over December, Haidai made several claims that Ukrainian forces were closing in on Kreminna, but these are yet to be independently verified.
