Ukrainian Forces Retake 26 Villages

The 37th Separate Marine Brigade said its troops operated in Donetsk Oblast and helped liberate Novokhatske, Yalta, Filiia, Hrushivske, Zelenyi Hai and Tolste. “We helped our paratrooper brothers-in-arms clear these settlements. We secured positions there, while our units also provided covering fire, struck enemy forces with drones and handled logistics, which is also very important when liberating occupied territory,” Denys Bobkov said.

The areas had already come under Russian fire in 2025, he said. Most civilians had left before the Ukrainian operation began, and many homes and infrastructure sites had been damaged or completely destroyed. Russian forces had heavily mined the terrain, creating one of the main obstacles to the advance. They also made extensive use of reconnaissance and attack drones, including fiber-optic-guided FPV drones.

“All of this complicates logistics and makes it harder to advance. The enemy did not give up these areas easily. They fought back hard. Still, coordinated command and well-planned operations made this result possible,” Bobkov said. The liberated settlements are under the full control of Ukraine’s Defense Forces, and the surrounding territory has been cleared, he added.

The 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade operated alongside Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces. Maj. Illia Kotsukon, head of the brigade’s communications section, said its troops helped assault units advance and retake lost positions. The brigade operated in Krasnovitske, Pryvilne, Zlahoda and Rybne.

“We supported them with reconnaissance and fire. As they advanced, we rotated in for them at the front line so the assault units could keep moving. That is how we worked with the assault troops to retake lost positions,” Kotsukon said. Russian forces began massing troops and mounting counterattacks after the Ukrainian advance. Kotsukon cited heavy Russian drone use and artillery fire as the operation’s biggest challenges.

The brigade stressed that the operation in the Oleksandrivka sector remains underway. One of the operation’s main objectives was to drive Russian troops from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and prevent them from advancing farther toward the region’s administrative boundaries, Kotsukon said.

Zelenskyy reported on Aug. 12 that Ukrainian forces had liberated 745 square kilometers in the Oleksandrivka sector from Jan. 29 through August, reclaiming 26 villages across Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhya oblasts.










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