On 23 March, the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade officially announced the recapture of the settlement of Nadiia in Luhansk Oblast, which is located 17 kilometers from the Russian-occupied Svatove, in an operation that lasted 30 hours, ArmyInform reports.
Since the start of the Russian all-out war, Luhansk Oblast has seen the largest area occupied by the Russian military, with over 90% of its territory under occupation.
Three square kilometers of territory were freed from Russian control. The offensive was preceded by a heavy artillery bombardment, followed by combat operations supported by tanks and armored vehicles. Ukrainian assault units cleared Russian positions in the village and the surrounding forest.
Nadiia had been under Russian occupation since early March 2022. Ukrainian forces had previously liberated the settlement in the summer of 2023.
According to DeepState data, at the end of February and the beginning of March 2025, the occupiers launched a strong offensive in the area and succeeded in retaking Nadiia, but they were unable to secure further gains.
Commander of the 3rd Army Corps, Andrii Biletsky, stated that the Russian forces’ occupation of Nadiia cost them two months of effort and the destruction of two motorized rifle regiments — the 752nd and 254th from the 20th Russian Army.
Regaining control of Nadiia will allow Ukraine to effectively monitor and control the Black Zherebets River and the temporarily occupied settlements of Raihorodka and Dzherelne, explained Volodymyr Fokin, commander of the 1st Assault Battalion of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade in a comment to “Ukrainska Pravda.”
He further stated that the liberation of Nadiia hinders the Russian forces’ ability to launch a mechanized assault on the village of Kopanky and makes it more difficult for them to advance towards other settlements, including Borova.
“Overall, we’ve stabilized our defensive line and secured more advantageous positions for defense,” said Fokin.