On July 17, Ukrainian troops raised national flags in the eastern villages of Yalta and Voskresenka, located near the Donetsk-Dnipropetrovsk border—territories Russia had already claimed to have captured.
Fighters from the 31st Separate Mechanized Brigade and the 505th Separate Marine Battalion quietly entered these so-called “occupied” areas and planted the Ukrainian flag, directly challenging Moscow’s narrative of battlefield success.
Footage released by Ukraine’s 20th Corps shows the flag-raising moments and FPV drone strikes targeting Russian positions. While Russian propaganda reports daily advances, Ukrainian forces are proving that the front lines remain fluid, contested, and fiercely defended.
