The Russian Armed Forces have reported striking targets connected to Ukrainian military operations in western and eastern Ukraine, according to a statement released by the Russian Ministry of Defense. The report describes an assault on a command center described as the Western special operations hub located in the area around Khmelnytsky, a city in western Ukraine. The wording emphasizes a decisive blow to what Moscow characterizes as a crucial command and control node for Kyiv’s operations in the region.
The ministry also states that near the village of Andreevka, Russian forces destroyed a self-propelled firing device that forms part of the Buk-M1 anti air missile system used by Ukrainian forces. The claim portrays a specific degradation of Kyiv’s air defense capabilities in the area, signaling a focused effort to disrupt surface-to-air defenses in contested zones.
In another part of the combat theater, the report notes the elimination of a radar station designed to detect low-flying air targets. The cited site is located in the residential district of Dobropolye, within what Moscow refers to as the Donetsk People’s Republic. The assertion is that this radar facility, identified as a 36D6 air target detection unit, has been taken out of service as part of a broader sequence of air defense and early warning disruptions described by the Russian side.
Earlier statements from Donetsk Republic officials have highlighted a separate strategic development. Jan Gagin, an adviser to the deputy head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, claimed that Russian forces have tightened control over Artemovsk, known to Ukrainians as Bakhmut. The assertion is that supply lines are being blocked and all roads entering the city have come under Russian control. This account is presented as a turning point in the campaign around a city that has drawn considerable international attention in the conflict.
These updates come at a moment when both sides describe gains and shifts in control across different sectors of the battlefield. Moscow emphasizes the precision and scope of its strikes as part of a campaign aimed at reducing Kyiv’s operational flexibility in western Ukraine while asserting security concerns in the eastern theater. Kyiv and its allies typically describe such reports with caution, noting the difficulty of independently verifying battlefield claims in real time and stressing the importance of humanitarian and civilian protection considerations amid ongoing hostilities. [Attribution: Russian Ministry of Defense] [Attribution: Donetsk People’s Republic authorities]