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Editor’s note: The article was expanded with a statement from the Khortytsia group of forces and its spokesperson, Viktor Trehubov.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed on Jan. 26 that its forces had captured Velyka Novosilka, a strategically significant settlement in the western part of Donetsk Oblast.
Ukraine’s 110th Mechanized Brigade, which is deployed in the area, acknowledged a withdrawal from parts of the village to avoid encirclement but claimed that fighting is ongoing elsewhere in Velyka Novosilka.
"Fights in Velyka Novosilka are ongoing. Russian forces shelled our positions 30 times," the Khortytsia group of forces said on Jan. 27.
"The Defense Forces continue inflicting casualties to Russia in manpower and equipment during tense battles."
The group’s spokesperson, Viktor Trehubov, clarified later during the day that Ukrainian forces withdrew from the southern part of the village but continue to hold positions in the outskirts.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
The village with a pre-war population of 5,000 lies only around 15 kilometers from the administrative border with Zaporizhzhia Oblast and 20 kilometers from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a region so far untouched by Russian occupation.
If confirmed, this would represent the most significant gain of Russian forces in Donetsk Oblast since overrunning Kurakhove earlier in January.
The 110th Brigade said that both Russia and Ukraine had parity in equipment but Moscow had significant advantage in manpower.
According to the Ukrainian military, Russian forces will struggle to advance their offensive onward. The Mokri Yaly River creates an obstacle for Russia’s advance and Russian troops are in a vulnerable "fire pocket," said the brigade.
Fighting is at a very heavy level in Donetsk Oblast and Russian troops continue to advance, albeit slowly, this year. Throughout the fall of 2024, Russian forces made operational gains in southern Donetsk Oblast, including areas near Toretsk and Chasiv Yar, while advancing near Kupiansk and on Russian soil in Kursk Oblast.
Asami Terajima
