Russian Armed Forces fighters broke through the AFU defense at one of the frontline sites in Kurakhovo

Military men of the Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Southern Group of Forces have broken through the defenses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) militants at one of the frontline sites in the locality of Kurakhovo in the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR). This was reported by the Russian Defense Ministry on December 17.

Decisive assault actions of the Russian Armed Forces fighters allowed them to occupy a height near the settlement and prevent the AFU from regrouping. Thanks to preparation and competent combat actions, the Russian army military was able to advance and consolidate on new positions in a few days.

"There are storming actions of the grain elevator of the city of Kurakhovo. Bombers are now carrying out subversion, as on the western, eastern and northern sides the enemy has well placed firepower. <...> This central building we stormed for almost 24 hours," the battalion commander of the Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Southern Group of Forces with the call sign Uzbek shared.

The Defense Ministry noted that the RF Armed Forces fighters continue to liberate the city, despite the attempts of the AFU to make counterattacks.

Day of Fire: How artillery clears the way for infantry near Kurakhovo

The actions of the assault squads are supported by powerful strikes of Msta-B howitzers

Earlier, on December 15, the chairman of the commission of the Public Chamber of Russia on sovereignty issues, co-chairman of the coordination council for the integration of new regions Vladimir Rogov reported about the encirclement of the AFU group of 700 people near Kurakhovo. He noted that for the most part the AFU was counterattacking Russian troops west of Uspenovka in order to create space for the withdrawal of the group trapped in the cauldron.

On December 14, Vadim Astafiev, head of the press center of the Southern Group of Forces, said that the troops' fighters had defeated seven AFU brigades, including one near Kurakhovo. He indicated that up to 235 Ukrainian fighters had been wounded and killed.

On December 4, an adviser to the head of the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR), Igor Kimakovsky, said that the AFU had taken a large section of the Zaporizhzhya-Kurakhovo highway under fire control. According to Kimakovsky, the southern direction is working from the northern bank of the Kurakhovo reservoir in order to displace the AFU fighters.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the beginning of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the background of the aggravated situation in the region.