Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov has announced that 12 key settlements in eastern Ukraine have come under Russian control during February. He provided this update on Sunday (15 February) while inspecting Moscow’s military operations.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that, despite harsh winter conditions, joint forces and task force units successfully carried out these operations. However, AFP and other independent media outlets have not been able to verify these claims.
Gerasimov noted that Russian troops are advancing toward Sloviansk, a city that fell to Russian-backed separatists in 2014 and has since frequently been targeted by Russian attacks. Russian forces are currently positioned about 15 kilometers from the city.
Moscow continues to claim the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions as its own. Meanwhile, Russian advances have also been observed in other parts of Ukraine. Gerasimov added that security zones are being expanded along the northeastern borders of Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
He further indicated plans for movements toward Dnipropetrovsk, though the Kremlin has not formally claimed control over this area.