Kreminna
The town below which the front line got stuck in the Serebrianskyi forest.
Kreminna stands on the border of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, and that is why it has been held onto for so long. On 18 April 2022, after street fighting and a fire at the Olimp sports complex, the head of the regional administration Serhii Haidai said the town was under enemy control and evacuation was no longer possible. That autumn, after the liberation of Lyman, Ukrainian forces entered the Serebrianskyi forest — the protected woodland below the town, meant to become a springboard towards Kreminna. Instead of an advance came positional warfare: by the spring of 2023 the sides had levelled out, and the forest turned into a sea of dead trees cut down by artillery. The defence here was held by the 5th Slobozhanska Brigade of the National Guard and the Hroza battalion, and in 2023 Azov also fought on this axis. On 6 May 2024 Nazarii Hryntsevych "Grienka", the youngest defender of Azovstal, was killed near Kreminna.
Temporarily occupied since April 2022. The Serebrianskyi forest nearby is an area of active fighting and dense mining.
Chronicle
- 18 April 2022 — The head of the regional administration Serhii Haidai reported that the town was under enemy control; evacuation was no longer possible.
- autumn 2022 — After the liberation of Lyman, Ukrainian forces entered the Serebrianskyi forest — a springboard towards Kreminna.
- spring 2023 — Positional warfare settled into the forest: the defence was held by the 5th Slobozhanska Brigade of the National Guard and the Hroza battalion.
- 6 May 2024 — Nazarii Hryntsevych "Grienka", the youngest defender of Azovstal, was killed near Kreminna.