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Russian military sources say the liberation of the village of Svetloye in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) has created a springboard for a further offensive on the town of Dobropolye from the north. The claim was made by the chief of the operations department of the Russian Battlegroup Center’s 51st Army, identified only by his call sign "Pole," in comments carried by the Russian state news agency TASS.

Separately, a military expert told TASS that Russian forces have practically squeezed Ukrainian troops out of the neighboring village of Vodyanskoye, and that the area is now in a "grey zone" and expected to be liberated next.

Coverage Comparison

TASS, the Russian state news agency, carried two separate reports on the development. In one article, dated August 3, an officer from the Russian Battlegroup Center’s 51st Army said that the liberation of Svetloye would allow Russian forces to "create a certain springboard for a further offensive on northern Dobropolye." The officer described the taking of Svetloye as "another step towards the liberation of Dobropolye."

In an earlier report, dated July 30, military expert Andrey Marochko told TASS that after the liberation of Svetloye, Russian forces had gained control of more than ten square kilometers of territory previously occupied by Ukrainian troops. Marochko said Ukrainian forces had been "practically pushed" out of Vodyanskoye, which lies northwest of Svetloye, and that the village was "already in the grey zone and is to be liberated next."

Both reports reference the Russian Defense Ministry's announcement on July 29 that units of the Battlegroup Center had taken control of the settlement of Svetloye in the Donetsk People's Republic. The ministry's statement did not mention any plans for a further offensive.

Key Claims

  • The Russian Defense Ministry reported on July 29 that units of the Battlegroup Center took control of the settlement of Svetloye in the Donetsk People's Republic.
  • An officer of the Russian Battlegroup Center's 51st Army, call sign Pole, told TASS that the liberation of Svetloye creates a springboard for an offensive on Dobropolye from the north.
  • The same officer described the capture of Svetloye as "another step towards the liberation of Dobropolye."
  • Military expert Andrey Marochko told TASS that Russian forces have gained control of more than ten square kilometers of territory previously occupied by Ukrainian troops.
  • Marochko also stated that Ukrainian troops have been practically pushed out of the neighboring village of Vodyanskoye, which is located northwest of Svetloye.
  • According to Marochko, Vodyanskoye is currently in the "grey zone" and is expected to be liberated next.
No independent verification of these claims was available from other sources, and Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the reported developments.