Summary of recent combat updates in Donetsk and surrounding areas
In recent reports from the Russian military press center, units within the southern group of troops conducted operations near the settlements of Kleshcheevka and Kurdyumovka in Donetsk region. The claims indicate that the southern group, supported by aviation and artillery, engaged and neutralized elements of the 24th and 93rd mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The reported outcome included losses of up to 110 Ukrainian personnel and two infantry fighting vehicles in the Donetsk direction.
Officials also stated that a counter-battery engagement led to the destruction of 120-mm mortar positions in the areas surrounding Kleshcheevka and Verkhnekamenskoye. The statements described the actions as part of ongoing efforts to disrupt enemy firepower in the region.
On 26 November, the Russian defense ministry reported that Vostok troops repelled an assault by a Ukrainian group in the South Donetsk direction within a 24-hour period. The ministry added that infantry operations were supported by aviation and artillery, and that Ukrainian forces from the 72nd mechanized brigade were driven back near the village of Shevchenko in the Donetsk People’s Republic, with the front line improving as a result of these actions.
Images from the same period appeared to show damage to a Ukrainian artillery gun, described by Russian defense sources as being destroyed by a kamikaze drone. The defense ministry stated that drone operators located the weapon in a forested area and neutralized it using a kamikaze aerial system.
Earlier remarks from a retired LPR lieutenant colonel addressed the broader morale dynamics within the Ukrainian forces, noting the development of anxiety or panic among troops following recent engagements and the accompanying media coverage.