'Our flags are returning to where they belong' —Ukraine liberates Novomykhailivka in Donetsk Oblast, military intelligence reports
Ukrainian forces regained control of the village of Novomykhailivka in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) announced on Aug. 24.
Novomykhailivka is located in the region's Pokrovsk District, currently the hottest sector of the front line. Russian forces occupied the town in April 2025.
In a joint operation between HUR's Artan unit and the Third Assault Brigade's 2nd Assault Battalion, Ukrainian forces "drove out the occupiers and regained control of the settlement of Novomykhailivka," the agency reported.
The operation reportedly "took the occupiers by surprise." Russian forces lost "about a company of personnel" and had to transfer reserves from other areas of the front, HUR claimed, citing intercepted communications.
"Our flags are returning to where they belong," the agency said.
The joint operation involved coordination among intelligence, assault troops, heavy equipment, and drones, HUR reported. Its success resulted in an improved tactical position for Ukrainian units fighting in the area.
The agency's announcement coincided with Ukraine's Independence Day, which the country is celebrating for the fourth time since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
On the same day, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that Ukrainian troops had liberated three other villages in Donetsk Oblast: Zelenyi Hai, Mykhailivka, and Volodymyrivka.
When Russian forces gained control of Novomykhailivka in April, Ukraine's 79th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade called the battle for the village "one of the largest graveyards of enemy equipment of the Russian-Ukrainian war."
The settlement lies around 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Russian-occupied Mariinka. During Ukraine's last census in 2001, Novomykhailivka had a population of 1,400.
Russia has continued to intensify its ground offensives in eastern Ukraine, concentrating the bulk of its forces in the Pokrovsk sector in an effort to seize the key logistics hub. With no ceasefire in sight, Russia's advances in the region help strengthen Moscow's hand in possible peace negotiations as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for a deal to end the war.
The Kremlin's plan for peace reportedly involves Ukraine withdrawing all its forces from Donetsk Oblast, ceding the entire region to Russia in exchange for frozen battle lines on the other sectors of the front.
