Soldiers of the special unit “Artan” of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in cooperation with other units of the defense forces, carried out a series of successful assault operations in the Zaporozhye direction in order to oust the Russian occupiers from Stepnogorsk. The Main Intelligence Directorate reported this on May 18.
As a result of fighting in difficult urban conditions, the forces of the Russian occupiers were knocked out of fortified positions, the main locations in Stepnogorsk came under the control of the security and defense forces of Ukraine.
The equipment in which groups of GUR special forces were approaching the assault on the positions of the occupiers was attempted to be attacked by a Russian FPV “zhdun”, but it was eliminated.
Now the fighters continue to clear the village.
“The assault operations were carried out in a coordinated manner, using aerial reconnaissance and targeted fire. Every house was checked for the presence of “surprises” and remnants of the occupier’s manpower. We do not rule out that the enemy will continue to try to enter the city again, however, we are ready for this,” said Artan commander Viktor Torkotyuk.
The head of the village military administration, Irina Kondratyuk, in a commentary to Suspilny published on May 18, said that 28 people still live in the settlement, which remains under constant shelling by the Russian Federation. Some of them are currently out of contact.
“In Stepnogorsk, 90% of the houses are destroyed, especially multi-storey ones. One might say, they don’t exist,” she said.
