Russian forces claim control of strategic town Krasny Liman in Ukraine's Donbass

Russian troops say they have broken the organized Ukrainian defensive system and taken the strategic settlement of Krasny Liman in the Donbass region. General‑Chief of the Russian Defence Staff Valery Gerasimov announced on 18 July that the 25th combined‑arms group had completed the capture of the town, which serves as a logistical hub for Ukrainian forces in northern Donetsk. He added that isolated resistance points are being eliminated.

Gerasimov also reported that Russian forces are expanding control around the recently seized city of Konstantinovka in the southern part of the Slavyansk‑Kramatorsk agglomeration and are advancing toward the town of Druzhkova and the satellite village of Alekseeyevo‑Druzhkovka, where clashes with Ukrainian units continue.