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Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Anna Malyar declared that the Ukrainian military took control of the village of Rovnopol located about 10 kilometers to the south-west of Velikaya Novoselka in the DPR. Soon after her claims were made, Ukrainian servicemen shared a video allegedly made in the village.
According to the claims of the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), the village came under their control on June 25. However, the video shared by Ukrainian sources does not show any administrative buildings or any remarkable facilities in the settlement.
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In their turn, some Russian military sources confirmed that the AFU managed to enter the village during another attack which followed heavy artillery fire. According to preliminary reports, the village is partially controlled by the Russian military. Fighting in the area is ongoing.
After the reports of the Ukrainian side about the “liberation of Rovnopol”, there were reports from the Russian side that the northern part of the settlement where less than a platoon of the AFU entered was heavily hit by artillery and tanks. The Ukrainian grouping that entered the village reportedly suffered losses and the survivors are trying to hide in the basements of destroyed buildings.
On the morning of June 26, the Russian Ministry of Defence did not confirm any losses, reporting that four Ukrainian attacks were repelled in the area of Rovnopol.
The battle for the village has been ongoing since the very beginning of the Ukrainian counter offensive. If the Ukrainian military manages to secure their stronghold in the area, this would allow them to straighten the front lines several kilometers southward and threaten the large Russian stronghold in Staromlinskoe.
