LUGANSK, February 26. /TASS/. The Russian Armed Forces, having liberated the Grafskoye settlement in the Kharkov Region, are successfully advancing southeast of the settlement, toward neighboring Siminovka, military expert Andrey Marochko told TASS.
"Over the past 24 hours, the troops have conducted a number of successful operations in the area of the Siminovka settlement, located southeast of Grafskoye. I think we should expect positive statements from the Russian Defense Ministry soon," he said.
Earlier, Marochko told TASS that Russian troops, having liberated Grafskoye on February 25, are advancing southeast of the settlement along the eastern bank of the Seversky Donets River. Marochko said that personnel of the Russian Armed Forces had pushed Ukrainian troops back more than 12 kilometers from the state border.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced the liberation of Grafskoye on February 25. "Battlegroup North units established control of the settlement of Grafskoye in the Kharkov Region through active and decisive operations," the ministry said in a statement.