Ukraine’s Third Assault Brigade Takes Control of Nadiya in Luhansk

The soldiers of Ukraine’s Third Assault Brigade have successfully liberated the Nadiya [Hope] settlement in the Luhansk region.

The announcement on Telegram came with a video showing the brigade’s assault group approaching on armored vehicles, clearing an enemy fire support point, and providing fire support for the landing operation. 

The video also shows the bodies of what are presumed to be Russian servicemen.

Kyiv Post was unable to verify the time and location of the filming, which is part of a 30-hour operation.

Trigger Warning: Sensitive content in the video

According to the brigade, control over Nadiya was restored by the 1st Assault Battalion. The total area liberated from Russian forces amounts to three square kilometers.

“Taking Nadiya cost the enemy two months of effort and resulted in two mechanized regiments—752nd and 254th of the 20th Russian army—being effectively wiped out,” said Andriy Biletsky, commander of the Third Army Corps.

Nadiya is a village located in the Svatyivsky district of the Luhansk region. According to the 2001 census, its population was 25 people.

The village was first captured by Russian forces in March 2022 during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In October 2022, the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) regained control, only for the Russians to capture it again shortly thereafter.

In late February, Ukrainian paratroopers recaptured the village of Kotlyne near Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, dealing heavy losses to Russian forces in a decisive assault operation, according to the Airborne Assault Forces.

The military report emphasized Kotlyne’s strategic significance, staiting that its capture would have allowed Russian troops to advance toward the Pokrovsk-Dnipro highway. Aware of this, Moscow deployed substantial forces to seize the village.

However, paratroopers from the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade, supported by other units, successfully prevented Russian forces from securing a foothold in Kotlyne and ultimately forced them out.

The operation was carried out with extensive artillery support, first-person view (FPV) drones, and precision drone-dropped munitions.

Battalion commander Serhiy Gera said his unit began preparations on Jan. 29, closely analyzing enemy movements, reconnaissance tactics, and defensive positions. Their strategy was to encircle Russian troops from the rear, cutting off escape routes and preventing them from entrenching themselves.