On 5-6 July 2014, thanks to the combat proficiency of the servicemen and volunteers of the Ukrainian Army, several cities in the east of Ukraine were liberated from the Russian hybrid forces, which had occupied them since March-April, 2014.
The liberation of Sloviansk was a turning point in regaining control over a number of other cities and villages in Donbas. The battles for this city lasted from April to July 2014. Russian terrorist armed formations left Sloviansk on the night of July 5, 2014. This allowed the Ukrainian military to establish control over the cities of Kramatorsk, Bakhmut, Druzhkivka, and Kostiantynivka on July 5-6.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine was stopped but for a high price: about 70 Ukrainian soldiers died in the battles for Sloviansk, and 50 in the battles for Kramatorsk.
7% of the territory of Ukraine, including Crimea, still remains under Russian occupation. 42 to 44 thousand people were injured or killed as a result of hostilities as of February 2021, according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.