This town in the eastern Donetsk region, which once had more than 30,000 inhabitants, now has only 1,600.
Russian forces have entered the eastern part of Toretsk, Donetsk region, the Ukrainian military command confirmed.
Anastasiia Bobovnikova, spokesperson for the Luhansk operational tactical group, said that the situation in the city was “very unstable” and that the “fights literally took place at the entrance to each building.”
There was no immediate comment from the Russian Defense Ministry, which said earlier Monday that its forces had inflicted damage on personnel and equipment near several localities in the region, including near Toretsk.
Russian military bloggers, including a group of military analysts who run Rybar, a popular Telegram channel, have said that Russian troops continued to advance towards the center of the city.
The crowdsourced monitoring website DeepState reports that localities located on the eastern outskirts of Toretsk – Pivnichne, Zalizne, Droujba and Pivdenne – are entirely or almost entirely in Russian hands.
The situation near Toretsk has been difficult for months, with clashes on the outskirts of the city reported as early as August.
But over the past month, Moscow has intensified its attention and assault on the city, and Russian forces have been advancing into Toretsk since late September, making extensive use of highly destructive guided bombs.
The situation has also become increasingly difficult in eastern Ukraine – the main target of the Kremlin’s all-out invasion – since the capture of Vuhledar less than a week ago.
Like Vuhledar, Toretsk has been a frontline city for more than a decade, as it is close to Ukrainian territories seized by Russia in 2014.
What would the capture of Toretsk mean?
With a population of over 30,000 before the full-scale invasion, Toretsk was largely destroyed and devastated, with most buildings shattered and only some 1,600 residents remaining in town after numerous evacuations.
A mining town close to areas of the Donetsk region captured by Russian-backed separatists in 2014, Toretsk has been on the front line for a decade.
Moscow’s forces have been advancing toward the city since August, gradually gaining surrounding villages with infantry and increased use of highly destructive guided bombs.
If Russian forces manage to capture the city, this will allow Moscow to obstruct the main Ukrainian logistics routeswhich connect the operational rear to the combat zone.
The intensification of Russian assaults also demonstrates Moscow’s superiority in terms of personnel and equipment, as Ukraine demands more weapons and support from its Western allies.
“A very important phase” of the war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the war was in “a very important phase”, with the Ukrainian military struggling to keep larger Russian forces in the east at bay while holding ground in the Russian border region. of Kursk, which it seized two months ago.
ADVERTISEMENTUkraine must “exert the necessary pressure on Russia so that it realizes that the war will bring it nothing,” declared the Ukrainian president. “We will continue to exert even greater pressure on Russia, because only by force can we bring peace closer.
Additional sources • adaptation: Serge Duchêne
