Kiev loses its ‘last stronghold’ in southern Donbass – Russian MOD

The strategic town of Velikaya Novoselka in the Donetsk People’s Republic has been liberated, the military has said

Russian troops have taken over the town of Velikaya Novoselka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the Defense Ministry in Moscow reported on Sunday. Previously considered Kiev’s ‘last stronghold’ in southern Donbass, the town was a key component of Ukraine’s heavily fortified defensive line in the region and served as a major logistics hub for Ukrainian troops.

Velikaya Novoselka was a centerpiece of the ‘Vremevka Ledge’, a string of villages in the west of the DPR that the Ukrainian military turned into a major defensive position. The area on the border between the DPR and neighboring Zaporozhye Region saw combat during the unsuccessful Ukrainian counteroffensive in summer 2023, when several local settlements were seized by Kiev.

In November 2024, Russian forces launched a major offensive of their own in the area and eventually managed to virtually encircle Velikaya Novoselka in January, after taking control of several smaller settlements to the southwest and the village of Novy Komar to the north.

Earlier this week, the Defense Ministry in Moscow reported that Russian troops had driven a wedge through Ukraine’s defensive position in the town itself and began an assault on the stronghold. The ministry also published a video showing Russian forces supported by drones and artillery storming Velikaya Novoselka and raising the Russian flag over a building in the center of the town.

Later on Sunday, the military published another video of what it said was the aftermath of the battle for Velikaya Novoselka. The clip shows Russian soldiers walking around the town and standing on top of several buildings while waving flags.

Russian troops have been on the offensive in Donbass since capturing the strategic town of Avdeevka in February 2024. They have been steadily advancing, pushing Ukrainian forces out of almost 200 settlements last year, according to the head of the Russian General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov.

Velikaya Novoselka was one of the few major towns remaining under Kiev’s control in the DPR. The others include Pokrovsk, located 55km to the northeast, Slavyansk, and Kramatorsk.

READ MORE: Russian troops storm Ukrainian positions – MOD (VIDEO)

Pokrovsk, also known as Krasnoarmeysk, was once a major supply hub for Ukraine’s frontline fortifications, but has become part of the front line itself, as Russian forces continue their steady push west. In late December, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that it liberated the villages of Novotroitskoe and Novoolenovka near the town.