Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from one front-line sector in Donetsk Oblast to preserve troops and improve defensive operations, Lieutenant General Serhii Naiev, the commander of a tactical group in the region, reported on March 18.
"This allowed us not only to save our soldiers but also to improve our defense. (Russia) is suffering losses, and we can act more effectively," Naiev wrote on Facebook. It remains unclear which section of the front line the commander was referring to.
Naiev, the former commander of Ukraine's Joint Forces, noted that his leadership of the tactical group in Donetsk Oblast has now entered its second month.
The general emphasized that over the past month, coordinated efforts by scouts, drone operators, artillery, mortar units, tanks, and infantry have destroyed more than 30 Russian armored vehicles and taken out 2,000 Russian soldiers.
“This has significantly reduced the number of Russian attacks in our direction,” he said.
According to Interfax Ukraine's undisclosed source, Naiev has been appointed to command the Velyka Novosilka tactical group. The occupied village of Velyka Novosilka lies some 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of the administrative border between the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk oblasts.
The withdrawal was carried out in February and concerned Ukrainian units in the area of the villages Dachne, Zelenivka, and Andriivka north of Velyka Novosilka, Ukrainska Pravda's undisclosed sources claimed. Kyiv's forces stationed there pulled back to avoid encirclement in the so-called Kurakhove pocket, according to the outlet.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims. A Ukrainian military spokesperson has declined to comment.
The Ukrainian military reported that Russia has stepped up attacks in the southern Zaporizhzhia Oblast over the past few weeks but denied Russian claims of capturing the village of Stepove.
Throughout the fall of 2024, Russian forces made operational gains in Donetsk Oblast, including areas near Toretsk and Chasiv Yar. Fighting remains intense in the eastern region, and Russian troops continue to advance, albeit slowly, this year.
Martin Fornusek
