Russian Armed Forces Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov confirmed that Russian forces have liberated eight settlements and cleared 300 square kilometers of territory that had been under the control of the Kiev regime’s forces, in addition to achieving significant advances on several fronts within the special military operation zone.
According to Sputnik News Agency on Thursday, Gerasimov inspected the operations of units from the Tsentr battlegroup in the Dnepropetrovsk direction.
“The offensive is underway in almost all directions. Over the first two weeks of January, eight settlements and more than 300 square kilometers of territory were liberated,” he said.
He noted that “after Kupiansk was liberated by units of the Western Group in November of last year, the enemy repeatedly attempted to create the impression of maintaining a presence in the city.”
He explained that the Ukrainian Armed Forces also attempted to raise Ukrainian flags on administrative buildings in Kupiansk using drones, but these attempts were thwarted.
Gerasimov added, “The liberation of Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi is nearing completion, along with the elimination of Ukrainian formations encircled on the eastern bank of the Oskol River.”
