Soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces distributed humanitarian aid to residents of the village of Elizavetovka in the DNR

Russian servicemen of the 10th Guards Tank Regiment of the 20th Guards Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Guards Army of the Southern Group have distributed humanitarian aid to residents of the village of Elizavetovka in the Donetsk People's Republic, which was liberated from the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Images from the scene are at the disposal of Izvestia.

"There was [shelling] on the neighbors here. They were pounding from tanks," local resident Viktor told Izvestia correspondent Alexander Safiulin, showing the consequences of the AFU attacks.

According to the man, he began to equip a basement where he could take shelter from shelling by Ukrainian fighters as early as 2022.

"Cleared three houses first. Strengthened, dried off, changed clothes, because we walked through the swamp, were soaking wet. They gave us an order, we cleared a few houses, fortified ourselves, waited for the second group. It came later on the other side of the street. And that's how we marched in staggered order. The houses were cleared without a fight, the houses were empty," said a serviceman of the Russian Armed Forces with the call sign Yermak.

According to the Russian serviceman, Ukrainian fighters abandoned their positions, changing into civilian clothes. The AFU fighters did not defend themselves, abandoned their positions and left, and some surrendered as prisoners, Yermak added.

Paragraph with meaning: the Russian army cleared Velikaya Novoselka of the enemy

The last major Ukrainian defense node in the south of the DNR has fallen

Earlier, on December 16, 2024, it was reported that units of the "Southern" group of troops also liberated Elizavetovka in the DNR. In total, in this direction, the enemy lost up to 345 people, five vehicles, two MaxxPro armored combat vehicles, 155-millimeter self-propelled artillery unit Paladin.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced 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.