In order to achieve the stated goals of the special military operation to liberate Donbass, it was decided to regroup Russian troops located in the areas of Balakleya and Izyum to step up efforts in the Donetsk direction, Russian Ministry of Defense reported.

"For this purpose, within three days, an operation was carried out to curtail and organize the redeployment of the Izyum-Balakleya group of troops to the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic. In the course of this operation a number of diversionary and demonstration activities with the designation of real actions of troops were carried out.

In order to prevent damage to the Russian troops, the enemy was attacked with powerful fire with the use of aviation, rocket forces and artillery.

In three days, more than two thousand Ukrainian and foreign fighters, as well as more than a hundred units of armored vehicles and artillery were destroyed," the report said.