Brief Frontline Report – June 28, 2025

Report by Marat Khairullin and Mikhail Popov.

The Russian Ministry of Defense reports: Units of the "East" Group, through decisive action, have liberated the settlement of Chervona Zirka (Zvezda, in Russian, or "Krasnaya Zvezda," which means "Red Star") in the Donetsk People's Republic. This settlement is marked with a Russian flag.*

"Do not seek Chervona Zirka in the evenings."

ЛБС=Line of Combat Contact

The Armed Forces of Ukraine had a defensive area in the interfluve between the Vovcha and Mokrye Yaly rivers, established in a highly advantageous defensive position, which was destroyed by the Russian Armed Forces within a week. The first of the three strong points in the area—the village of Zaporozhye —was liberated on June 21. The last, Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star), fell today, June 28!

On the opposite (left) bank of the river lies a horticultural settlement within the village of Tolstoy, where the AFU has established another defensive strongpoint. The Mokrye Yaly River, which separates Krasnaya Zvezda from Tolstoy in this area, is approximately 24 meters wide (across the floodplain) and 1 meter deep. Assault groups are crossing it under artillery and UAV cover. The day before, an airstrike using FABs was carried out on Tolstoy. According to intelligence reports, about a platoon of AFU militants deserted from this area—a sign of the poor morale among the defending enemy units, which appear to be staffed by mobilized citizens of "Nezalezhnaya" ("the independent," a mocking term for the Ukraine).

Reports are coming in about the elimination of a "pocket" north of the village of Alekseevka (colored in area). We previously marked this area on the map as a zone of active operations. More objective information is awaited.

To the south, our assault groups remain highly active: the enemy confirms problems south of the village of Mirnoye (K. Marx) and the advance of our units west of Shevchenko (liberated on June 26), with our forward detachments reaching the outskirts of Kamyshevakha.

Alternating efforts on the right flank, left flank, and center of the sector, combined with excellently coordinated command between adjacent military groups, allow the Russian Armed Forces to advance confidently and relentlessly toward the state border of the Russian Federation, pushing the enemy into Ukraine's Dnepropetrovsk Oblast.

Note from Mikhail:

"Do not seek Chervona Zirka in the evenings." - what does this mean?

There exists a Ukrainian folk song called "Chervona Ruta" ("Red Rue"). Rue is a mythical flower from the Carpathian mountains. The song contains the lyrics: "Chervonu Rutu ne shukay vecheramy", which translates to: "Don't look for Red Rue in the evenings."

My phrasing in the report - "Don't look for the Red Star in the evenings" - is a mocking alteration of these lyrics.