Published footage from the settlements where the offensive on Kurakhovo began

Footage has emerged of the settlements of Novomikhailovka and Konstantinovka, after the capture of which the Russian Armed Forces (RF Armed Forces) launched an offensive on the town of Kurakhovo in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). The video was published by Izvestia on Monday, January 6.

The offensive in the southern Donetsk direction began with battles for Novomikhailovka. The Church of Archangel Michael was destroyed in the center of the settlement as a result of the fighting.

The battles in Konstantinovka were no less heavy, as a result of which the village was almost completely destroyed.

"Despite the intensity of the fighting <...> there is a WWII monument at the entrance to the town, which is almost unaffected. The monument to the villagers who were drafted during the Great Patriotic War and who died at the front," said Izvestia correspondent Yevgeny Bykovsky.

Near the monument, the Russian military destroyed another NATO armored vehicle.

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The liberation of Kurakhovo by the Russian military was reported by the Russian Defense Ministry earlier in the day. The ministry said it was the largest town in southwestern Donbass. During the fighting to liberate the settlement, the AFU lost more than 12,000 people and about 3,000 weapons and military equipment, including 40 tanks and other armored vehicles.

At the same time, footage was published in which Russian fighters, liberating Kurakhovo, destroyed at least 18 units of Ukrainian equipment, which was located in forest belts and among residential houses.

Later, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov congratulated the Russian military on the liberation of the city, emphasizing the courage and determination of the actions of the 110th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade in Kurakhovo. The liberation of the city, as the head of the Defense Ministry noted, will become a symbol of courage and steadfastness of the Russian military.

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 made against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.

For more current video and details on the situation in Donbass, see Izvestia TV channel.