Ukraine recaptures territory held by Russia since 2014

telegraph: Ukraine has for the first time liberated territory which has been under Russian control since 2014, British intelligence officials said.

The small patch of land is in an area near Krasnohorivka, some 10 miles south west of the city of Donetsk.

The capture marks the first time since Russia’s invasion in February last year that Ukraine’s forces have been able to retake land seized in the initial Donbas invasion eight years prior.

Ukrainian troops were said to have liberated the lands last week, but news of the victory has been kept secret until now for tactical reasons.

“Ukrainian Airborne forces have made small advances east from the village of Krasnohorivka, near Donetsk city, which sits on the old Line of Control,” Britain’s MoD said on Tuesday in its daily intelligence update.

“This is one of the first instances since Russia’s February 2022 invasion that Ukrainian forces have highly likely recaptured an area of territory occupied by Russia since 2014.”

A spokesman for the Ukrainian military said the land was recaptured in a “well-prepared assault”.

“There were initiations of actions, and support from artillery and heavy equipment. They also cleared certain areas of mines,” Valerii Shershen, a spokesman for the Tavria Defence Force, said.

‘This has a symbolic meaning for us’

He described the advance by Ukrainian troops as “unexpected”, and said Russia had been fighting hard to drive Kyiv’s forces out of the newly captured positions with daily assaults and heavy shelling.

“This has a symbolic meaning for us, a moment of principle, and a certain improvement in the tactical situation,” the spokesman added.

In his overnight address on Monday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was a “happy day” for Ukraine but did not reveal specific details of Kyiv’s advances.

“Our warriors have advanced in all directions, and this is a happy day. I wished the guys more days like this,” he said.

In 2014, Russia illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula, while forces backed by Moscow seized control of parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions neighbouring the Russian mainland.

Mr Zelensky has vowed to end the war with Russia by reclaiming those territories, restoring Ukraine’s borders as recognised at the time of the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.