1,600 Russians died capturing, then retreating from, one small settlement
A hacked database indicates 1,600 Russian troops died in one tiny village in northern Donetsk. Zelena Dolyna is a bloody symbol of the whole wider war.
In northern Donetsk Oblast, a single village named Zelena Dolyna became the site of a staggering 1,600 Russian military deaths in a brief but brutal battle. Located astride a road threading south toward the town of Lyman, Zelena Dolyna is a microcosm of the wider war. The village, with fewer than 200 residents before the war, was captured by Russian forces in July 2025 after two years of brutal fighting.
In March of this year, Ukrainian forces launched Operation Vivaldi, successfully retaking Zelena Dolyna and erasing 18 months of Russian advances. This operation restored a robust defensive zone around the last free cities in Donetsk. The heartbreaking loss of 1,600 Russian troops in such a small area highlights the intense fighting and the high costs of both advancing and retreating in the conflict.
The Russians, employing costly infiltration tactics, suffered heavy casualties as they attempted to cross the disputed gray zone to find shelter. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces leveraged drones and unmanned systems to neutralize Russian positions, resulting in a disproportionate loss ratio of roughly 3.7 Russian deaths for every Ukrainian death. Zelena Dolyna, changing hands twice within a year, stands as a grim testament to the war's relentless toll on both sides.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
