Defensive operations continue in liberated Sviatohirsk - National Guardsman Markiv

Vitaliy Markiv, an officer with the Ukrainian National Guard's operational battalion named after General Kulchytsky, shared the details with Espreso TV. 

"With the joint efforts of the units of the National Guard, Ukraine's Armed Forces, and the Territorial Defense, we were able to force Siverskyi Donets and liberate the city of Sviatohirsk. Defensive operations are now underway. The units are setting up defensive positions in the city, and our priority is the safety of our citizens," he said.

Markiv said that Ukraine's National Guard is helping to set up a humanitarian corridor to help people who were under Russian occupation.

"The city is in a very deplorable state - the entire infrastructure is completely destroyed. There were cases when people did not see bread for 4-5 months. Search operations are ongoing to identify collaborators, sabotage and intelligence groups, and the Russians who did not have time to leave. We will establish ourselves and will definitely restore our city," the National Guardsman concluded.