Russia on Sunday claimed its troops had captured a strategically important town in eastern Ukraine as part of a grinding campaign to weaken Kyiv’s grip on the country’s industrial heartland, while uncertainty over the continued flow of U.S. funding has reportedly halted the work of some Ukrainian NGOs, including those helping war veterans.
Russia’s Defense Ministry announced the fall of Velyka Novosilka, which had around 5,000 residents before the war, following a monthslong battle. Its statement could not be independently verified, and Ukraine claimed its troops had only strategically withdrawn from certain areas.
But if confirmed, it would make Velyka Novosilka the first significant town to capitulate in 2025 under Moscow’s onslaught in the eastern Donetsk region against Ukraine’s weary and short-handed army. The war is set to reach its three-year milestone in February.
Ukrainian forces withdrew from certain parts of Velyka Novosilka to avoid encirclement, the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade said in a statement on its official Telegram channel Sunday. The brigade is active in that patch of the frontline.
Analysts have long predicted that it’s only a matter of time until Russian forces capture the settlement, which lies only 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region.
The brigade said though they have approximate parity with Russian forces in terms of artillery and drones, the Russians have a huge advantage in manpower.
“Our units, using the weather conditions, skillfully withdrew from areas where there was a threat of encirclement. This does not mean that we have completely left the city, the fighting in Velyka Novosilka continues . All actions are aimed at minimizing our own losses and maximum damage to the enemy,” the statement said.
The brigade said the withdrawal will make it topographically difficult for Russians to advance by making the river an obstacle for further advance.
“The enemy (…) will have no peace, any movement is cut off by shells and drones,” the statement said.
Russia captured the Donetsk cities of Avdiivka and Vuhledar last year after long and grueling battles. Those cities were largely leveled by Russian artillery, glide bombs and drones before they fell.
Russian forces have also been trying for months to capture the key Donetsk strongholds of Pokrovsk and Chasiv Yar.
Elsewhere, Ukrainian NGOs catering to the needs of war veterans and their families have claimed a suspension of U.S. funding is forcing them to halt their work, days after newly sworn in U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced he would pause foreign aid grants for 90 days.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later claimed that military aid to Ukraine would continue, but did not clarify whether humanitarian aid had been paused. Kyiv relies on the U.S. for 40% of its military needs.
According to news reports, Ukrainian NGOs receiving funding from Washington this weekend began receiving “stop work” orders, requiring them to pause all projects and related travel.
Veteran Hub, an NGO that provides legal and psychological support to war veterans and their families, was forced to halt operations of two of its three largest service units as a result, the organization said in its official Facebook page.
It said the suspension has lead it to ask for public donations for the first time.
“Since 2018, we have refrained from public fundraising because we believe that donations are primarily needed for the military. Today, we are forced to publicly ask for support for the first time,” the organization said.
With the Trump administration questioning the future of U.S. aid to Ukraine, stressing the need to quickly broker a peace deal, both Moscow and Kyiv are seeking battlefield successes to strengthen their negotiating positions ahead of any prospective talks.
For the past year, Russian forces have been waging an intense campaign to punch holes in Ukraine’s defenses in the eastern Donetsk region. The sustained and costly offensive has compelled Kyiv to give up a series of towns, villages and hamlets.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
30 Comments
TaiwanIsNotChina
Trump says that Putin is not coming to the negotiating table. The only way for Trump to retain a small amount of his dignity is to arm Ukraine.
Moriah
Ukraine has the largest army in Europe with close to a million soldiers.
The problem is desertion and insubordination.
Entire units can't be deployed into combat because the risk of them abandoning positions actually makes them a liability on the front.
Primusinter
This is a pure lie. Russians use destructive weapons, preserving civilian buildings as much as possible. Civilian structures are not a military target. Numerous testimonies from civilians who waited for the Russian troops in these cities unanimously assert that they were the retreating Ukrainian military who fired at their homes. And if you turn on your logic, then you will answer yourself the question: why would the Russians destroy houses if now these are their territories that they will no longer give up? And Ukrainians also know that these cities will no longer return to Ukraine, which is why they seek to destroy them to zero.
Underworld
Primusinter
Those cities were largely leveled by Russian artillery, glide bombs and drones before they fell
The truth hurts. The Russian army is notorious for using artillery and glide bombs to totally destroy Ukrainian cities. And before that in Chechnya - look at photos of Grozny after the Russians finished with it.
Primusinter
No, Russians are not notorious for this. This is a lie that you sell to the whole world. But the destroyed Dresden, Hamburg, Lubeck and dozens of Iraqi cities are known facts. And Grozny is now one of the most beautiful cities in Russia. But this is a completely different story, which has nothing to do with you.
TokyoLiving
And Prokrovsk fall is very near..
TokyoLiving
Trump promised that on the next 24 hours starting his presidency the war will end..
Well it's a week from that broken promise..
dobre vam zajebava
The truth hurts.
The Russian army is notorious for using artillery and glide bombs to totally destroy Ukrainian cities.
And before that in Chechnya - look at photos of Grozny after the Russians finished with it.
OK
Burgerland
Moscow’s onslaught in the eastern Donetsk region against Ukraine’s weary and short-handed army."
Associated Press is obviously mistaken in this article. Our pro NATO experts have repeatedly assured us here Russians are the ones short handed and decimated, out of missiles / tanks/ men, fighting with flying shovels and surrendering at first sight of the mighty gamechangers.
Trump says that Putin is not coming to the negotiating table"
You repeatedly said no words coming out of Trump can be trusted. But now you believe him, congrats on another well executed flip flop.
lincolnman
Sure, how many times has the Kremlin announced that and it turned out to be clear disinformation or if it did happen, Ukraine counter-attack and forced the invaders to retreat?
Don't believe anything that comes out of Putin's fairy tale factory...
It's now Day #1067 of Putin's 72 hour "Special Military Operation" - and all we see are more dead Russians...
Primusinter
How many times?
The Vostok group of troops liberated the village of Velikaya Novoselka in the DPR
Reported Russian Ministry of Defense. Now it's official!
Dutch cowards and Baltic transhumanists may not believe it. No one is interested in their opinion. Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk - learn the name) and Chasov Yar are next in line.
lincolnman
Yes, that was my question - how many times has the Kremlin lied about its supposed "gains"?
ROFL..
That was weird...
Underworld
Primusinter
And before that in Chechnya - look at photos of Grozny after the Russians finished with it.
I've seen the photos of Grozny and of Bakhmut. I can assure you they are flattened.
Sure. I don't agree with carpet bombing civilian cities either.
Well I don't try to deny that the Russians have been flattening cities in Ukraine - the evidence is there.
Underworld
TokyoLiving
I've been hearing that for 9 months now...
Primusinter
I have never heard a single official statement from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. which would later turn out to be a lie. Let's wait, maybe someone has better information :) Oh, my God!
stormcrow
Viva la Ukraine!
Burgerland
Sure, how many times has the Kremlin announced that and it turned out to be clear disinformation or if it did happen, Ukraine counter-attack and forced the invaders to retreat?
Not very often.
Don't believe anything that comes out of Putin's fairy tale factory...
Biden propaganda factory told us here that Russian convict rabble was decimated, out of weapons and waving white flags on their shovels at first sight of NATO gamechangers making a breakthrough. That was weird stuff dude. Many bros believed it and were left disappointed. Kremlin propaganda is second rate comparing to what we heard from Washington/ Brussels in the past.
Tokyo Guy
Just to humour them, let's assume they're telling the truth for once.
How does this factor into their original plan to walk into Kyiv as conquering heroes?
The longer this goes on, the more pathetic the Russian military looks and the more everyone laughs at them, even as that alcoholic what's-his-name is on TV every so often threatening to Annihilate the Decadent West.
Nothing infuriates a wannabe tough country (and its lickspittles) than being laughed at, and that's about all the Russian army is good for. (I mean we just handed ours over to an alcoholic wife-beating extremist christian white nationalist, so I can hardly judge, but at least he hasn't had time to start ruining things yet)
I'veSeenFootage
It is very important at this point to also realize that the only reason the much-feared and impressive-on-paper russian army turned out to be a whole bunch of unprepared, ill-equipped and disorganized bozos is because Russia is a kleptocracy and every member of the government is corrupt. This is what mass corruption does to a country and its military force.
And this is the road the United States are slowly taking.
lincolnman
Really? How about "The Moskva was involved in an accident".... LMAO....
You're describing Russian advances...
Sure, and Putin doesn't need Iranian drones and North Koreas troops because Russia is so self-reliant....and "winning"...
ROFL...
Burgerland
Sure, and Putin doesn't need Iranian drones and North Koreas troops because Russia is so self-reliant....and "winning"...
ROFL...
Well yeah, Russia seems to be winning as it keeps advancing. Sure it's slow and costly but Kremlin apparently seems willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it's aims. Anything Russia got from others pales in comparison to what Ukraine got from NATO.
Obviously Ukraine can not win this war. Peace talks are needed asap. Nothing to ROFL about.
lincolnman
And retreating...and advancing....and retreating....for over 1000 days... Some successful 72 hour special military operation...
They've shown the world that Russia is hardly a superpower - but a third-rate military with poorly trained troops and shoddy equipment...
And a contract military force that likes to revolt...
Burgerland
They've shown the world that Russia is hardly a superpower - but a third-rate military with poorly trained troops and shoddy equipment..."
Yeah that's cute but that third rate military is still blowing up all the superior NATO gamechangers and advancing against NATO trained UAF. Doesn't matter how much lipstick you wanna put on it.
Primusinter
Everything that the local expert jackals have written about has never been official information from the Ministry of Defense :) Anyone could have reported all this, but not the official sources. Even if choke on your barking.
Underworld
Burgerland
Sure, and Putin doesn't need Iranian drones and North Koreas troops because Russia is so self-reliant....and "winning"...
ROFL...
Winning and advancing are two different things. What are Putin's war aims?They are political control of Ukraine. Advancing does nothing for that.
That doesn't achieve them. Unless he gets all the way to Kyiv.
?
Do you think that Russia can?
lincolnman
Gotcha...
"The Russian Defence Ministry says the Moskva was badly damaged by an accidental fire and sank in a storm as it was being towed to port."
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/04/15/europe/russia-guided-missile-cruiser-moskva-sinks-intl-hnk-ml/index.html
You can't even get your own fake talking points right....
Someone is choking alright - on their own humiliation...
Blacklabel
Wow then Ukraine must totally be winning then?
but….this article says they just lost more land to the 51st Division, Shovel Brigade.
you should be worried. Instead of a “symbolic victory” as usual- this one was called “strategically important”
yeah but Trump or Steve Bannon or Elon or 24 hours or something. Yeah.
JJE
Important to check maps. The river mentioned is the Mokri Yaly. It is Vostok Group again. Textbook encirclement operation with a cauldron.
Article mentions the distance to Dnipro border, relative to that position in the South Donetsk sector - another position a nudge north sits 4 clicks from said border.
Interesting photos - Orlan has proved to be very efficient, economic in the ISR role (note the van UAZ van parked in background). Photo two has the contemporary iteration of the Hind opening up, FLIR visible on the nose (AT missiles sit on the outer).
Blacklabel
yeah almost 3 years ago by now. Didn’t really change a thing.
anything more recent? How’s it going these days? (Hint: read article)
JJE
Fairly accurate assessment. Another fact to observe is that a significant portion of Russian Forces mentioned there consist of Donetsk-Lugansk natives. How odd.