Russian forces have entered the center of Vuhledar, a strategic outpost of the Ukrainian army located on high ground in Donetsk province, confirmed Vadym Filashkin, head of the Ukrainian military administration in the region, on Tuesday, according to Reuters and EFE.
“The enemy is already near the center of the city,” Filashkin said on Ukrainian television, highlighting the extremely difficult military situation in Vuhledar.
According to the Ukrainian war analysis platform “DeepState,” Russian troops are attempting to encircle Ukrainian forces in the city center.
Vuhledar, located on elevated terrain and resisting Russian assaults since the invasion began in February 2022, had a pre-war population of about 14,000. Currently, only 107 residents remain, having refused evacuation, Filashkin reported.
Ukrainian military analysts believe that full control of Vuhledar would allow Russian forces to advance further, using the high ground for artillery advantages.
The Russian army has been making steady gains on Ukraine’s eastern front over the past two months, announcing the capture of new settlements almost daily, despite Ukraine’s offensive launched on August 6 in Russia’s Kursk province. Ukraine had hoped that the operation would force Russia to redeploy enough troops from the Ukrainian front to halt its advance.
On Tuesday, Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed control of a new settlement, Kruti Yar, near the strategic city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine. Capturing this logistics hub would bring Russia closer to seizing the entire Donetsk region.
