The Russian Armed Forces liberated Charivnoye in the Zaporizhia region

Units of the 38th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 35th Guards Combined Arms Army of the Vostok group of forces broke through the defenses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and took full control of the Charivnoye settlement in the Zaporizhia region. This was announced on May 16 by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

It is specified that during the fighting, a fortified enemy defense center was destroyed, covering the approaches to Komsomolsk and the Omelnik road.

"The enemy actively used FPV drones and mined trails. At one of the sites, we had to overcome about 200 m of open terrain, and an enemy machine gun was working hard on us. We lay down in the tall grass and came out to the commander, who lifted the FPV drones into the air. While the drones were attacking the machine gunner's position one by one, we ran to the forest belt, knocked out the enemy from there and entered the houses on the outskirts of the village," said a stormtrooper with the call sign Greek.

The company commander with the call sign Volobuy reported that the units had traveled about 14 km in groups to the village, acting in small twos due to the threat of enemy Baba-Yaga hexacopters. He noted that the enemy had equipped fortified and mined positions, but the Russian military successfully overcame the defensive lines.

"The peculiarity of Charivny is the two main streets, separated by an empty space of almost a kilometer, where there were no shelters at all. They coped with this problem, including using the underground passages of the enemy — in a few years they dug an extensive network of tunnels under the houses," said the battalion commander with the call sign Crypt.

The losses of the enemy from the 225th separate assault regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine exceeded a company of personnel. Seven ground-based robotic complexes and 23 heavy hexacopters of the Baba Yaga type were also destroyed. The liberation of Charivny made it possible to break through the line of defense and ensure the advance of the Vostok group units in the direction of Orekhovo.

Dragoon sense: how the army breaks through the fortifications near Novopavlovka

Motorcycle groups are used for supply, evacuation and rapid approaches to positions.

On May 14, Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergei Shoigu announced that the servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces involved in the special operation zone were confidently moving forward along the entire line of combat contact with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to him, the Russian fighters also have the strategic initiative. Since the beginning of 2026, the Russian Armed Forces have been able to liberate over 1.8 thousand square kilometers of territory and more than 80 settlements.