Ukraine recaptures first village in Lugansk after 3 years

(Dan Tri) - Ukraine announced that it had recaptured a village from Russia on the Lugansk front, marking the first time Kiev had regained control of territory in this area in the past 3 years.

Ukrainian soldiers participate in the attack (Photo: Ukrainian Army).

Ukrainian troops have recaptured a small village in the Lugansk region of eastern Ukraine, marking a rare achievement in a region that has been almost entirely controlled by Russia since the conflict began in 2022.

Ukrainian ground forces said they had retaken control of the village of Nadia in the Lugansk region in a 30-hour operation, reclaiming 3 square kilometres of territory. According to the Telegraph, this is the first village in Lugansk that Ukraine has recaptured in three years.

Volodymyr "Foka" Fokin, commander of the 1st Assault Battalion of the 3rd Separate Shock Brigade, told Ukrainska Pravda that they had inflicted damage on two mechanized regiments, the 752nd and 254th Regiments of the Russian 20th Guards Combined Arms Army.

Ukraine's 3rd Separate Assault Brigade takes control of a village in Lugansk (Video: UP).

Nadia is a village located in the Svatyivsky District of the Lugansk Region. The village was first taken over by the Russian military in March 2022. In October of that year, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) regained control, but soon after, the Russians retook the village.

Commander Foka said that the recapture of the village of Nadiia allows Ukraine to effectively control the firepower over the Chornyi Zherebets River and the settlements of Raihorodka and Dzherelne, which are still controlled by Russian troops.

"The capture of Nadiia complicates the enemy's mechanized attack towards the village of Kopanky, hindering any further advances towards the settlements of Zelenyi Hai and Borova. This step also allows us to maintain fire control over Pershotravneve (Stepy) and Vyshneve. In general, we have strengthened the front line and gained a more favorable position for defense," he stressed.

Russia has not commented on Ukraine's statement. Moscow currently controls almost all of Lugansk region.

The development comes as Ukraine has made some small advances on the eastern front in recent weeks, while Russia’s offensive in the region has slowed down. Experts say this may be due to bad weather and the Russian military rebuilding its forces.

Both Ukraine and Russia have been working to improve their negotiating positions ahead of the next round of US-brokered peace talks aimed at ending the war.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/ukraine-gianh-lai-ngoi-lang-dau-tien-o-lugansk-sau-3-nam-20250323213419179.htm