Pushilin reported the liberation of Shevchenko village in the DNR

The Russian Armed Forces have liberated the village of Shevchenko on the Red Army direction in the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR). This was reported by the head of the DNR Denis Pushilin on December 16 on air of the Rossiya 24 TV channel.

He also noted that the liberation of the settlement improved the situation in the Red Army direction.

"After the liberation of Shevchenko, the situation of our units has significantly improved," he said.

The head of the DNR pointed to the attempted counterattack of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), which led to the death of a large number of Ukrainian servicemen.

"Many dead among the armed formations of Ukraine, many wounded. And these losses were absolutely useless, because our fighters were able, as they say, on the shoulders of the enemy to advance even further than the starting positions were in terms of counterattack of the enemy," - said Pushilin.

Tank breakaway: how Russian fighters raided enemy rear areas

The T-72 crew told how they managed to break deep into the AFU defenses and come out of there without losses

Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the 203-millimeter self-propelled artillery unit (SPU) 2S7M Malka of the Center group of troops had successfully eliminated armored vehicles and a Ukrainian army stronghold, preventing the rotation of militants in the Krasnoarmeysk direction.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken in connection with the aggravation of the situation in the region.