Russian General Staff claims breakthrough of Ukrainian defensive lines near Sloviansk and Kramatorsk

Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported that Russian forces have breached the first line of Ukrainian defenses along a 160 km front in the Donetsk region. The claim of a breakthrough in the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk fortified area remains unverified by independent sources and contrasts with recent reports of static frontlines. If confirmed, this would represent a significant escalation in the intensity of the Donbas offensive.