The New York Times: After the fall of Ugledar, the Russians entered the center of Toretsk
After capturing Ugledar, a Ukrainian stronghold in the country's southeast, Russian forces continue to advance in the area, entering or bypassing several towns in an attempt to break through Ukrainian lines.
Thus, the Russian army entered the city of Toretsk, which is located 80 kilometers north of Ugledar. The Russians are advancing toward its center, displaying maps of the battlefield drawn up by independent observers analyzing footage of the fighting.
Ukrainian military spokeswoman Anastasia Bobovnikova confirms that Russian troops have entered the city, noting that fighting is taking place "literally at all entrances."
The Russian army has also advanced along a fractured front line that stretches from Toretsk to Ugledar in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, sealing off a number of strategic towns and villages, battlefield maps show, The New York Times reports.
"It's clear what the Russians are aiming for, and as a result, the heaviest fighting has been fought here," argued Vienna-based military analyst Franz Stefan Gadi.
The increase in combat activity in eastern Ukraine contrasts with the situation in Kursk, where Ukrainian troops invaded in August. Kiev forces have had initial success, but have lost some areas to a Russian counteroffensive over the past month. Recently, the frontline has stabilized and both sides have made little progress.
Russia is currently still far from conquering the entire Donetsk region. Until now, it controls about two-thirds of the territory. To capture the remaining third, it will have to break through several Ukrainian defense lines, ditches and anti-tank ditches and break through densely populated urban areas.
According to American officials, the Russian army is not ready for such grueling battles in the near future. However, the slow but steady advance of Russian troops in the Donetsk region since the beginning of the year has allowed the Kremlin to capture or threaten several key Ukrainian defense points. These successes put Moscow in an advantageous position and give it the opportunity to take full control of the entire region in the future.
Taking the Toretsk peak would allow Moscow to advance to a key highway linking a string of towns that make up the Ukrainian armed forces' main defense belt in the Kiev-controlled part of the Donetsk region. By cutting this road, Moscow will significantly complicate Ukraine's military logistics in that area.
"The situation on the Toretsk front remains the most tense," says Anastasia Bobovnikova, a representative of the operational-tactical group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine "Luhansk".
Southwest of Toretsk, Russian troops are expanding the bulge they created in Ukrainian defenses, advancing on the strategic city of Pokrovsk, an important rail and road hub. Rather than attack the city directly, which is protected by several lines of trenches and anti-tank ditches, the Russians attempt to bypass it after occupying less fortified territory to the south.
Russian troops have already managed to make a semicircle around the town of Selidovo, about 15 kilometers southeast of Pokrovsk. Its capture would facilitate Russia's attempt to bypass Pokrovsk.
Ugledar also fell last week, forcing the Ukrainian garrison to retreat quickly as Russian troops approached from three directions.
Kurakhovo could find itself in a major ambush as Russian troops advance from the south through Ugledar, another town they captured last month.
"The Russians have been attacking this area for a long time and this is one of the most active sectors of the front along with Pokrovsk," says Sergey Kuzan of the security center.
In recent days, Russian troops have continued their attacks in southern Ukraine, where there has been a relative lull in fighting since a failed counteroffensive by Ukrainian armed forces last year.
Ukrainian officials said Russia had moved new troops into the area in preparation for future attacks. Russian troops recently entered the village of Kamenskoe, south of Zaporozhye, and launched offensive operations in other parts of the southern front.
Although it is too early to predict the outcome of these attacks, analysts speculate that their aim could be to expand Ukrainian forces by withdrawing troops from the Donetsk region, as well as to disrupt supply routes to the eastern front from the south.