'Fights taking place at every building entrance' as Russia enters eastern Toretsk, military says
The situation in Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast is very unstable as Ukraine is fighting Russian forces in the eastern outskirts of the front-line town, a spokesperson of the Operational Tactical Group Luhansk said on Oct. 7.
"The fighting is taking place within Toretsk itself. The situation is unstable; fights are taking place literally at every building entrance," spokesperson Anastasia Bobovnikova said on air on national television.
Moscow has focused its efforts against Toretsk over the past month as part of its grinding offensive in Donbas. The situation grows increasingly difficult in Ukraine's east as Russia captured the town of Vuhledar and closes in on Pokrovsk.
Bobovnikova said it is difficult to assess which parts of the town are under Russian control but confirmed that Moscow's troops had entered the eastern outskirts, advancing along Tsentralna (Central) Street in the direction of the Tsentralna Mine.
Editor's note: A map showing Tsentralna Street in Toretsk, displayed under its former name Dzerzhinsky Street.
"But the situation is constantly changing. Sometimes, we destroy their fire positions; sometimes, they destroy ours. But we are constantly regrouping and trying to regain what Russia captures," the spokesperson added.
Russian forces launched 11 attacks against Toretsk and nearby settlements on Oct. 7, according to Ukraine's General Staff. Twelve more ground assaults were launched overnight on Oct. 8.
The crowdsourced monitoring website DeepState indicates that settlements on the eastern outskirts of Toretsk – Pivnichne, Zalizne, Druzhba, and Pivdenne – are fully or almost completely in Russian hands.
According to the monitoring group, Russian forces have been advancing along Tsentralna Street since late September and have reached the town's center as of Oct. 7.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims.
Toretsk, which was home to over 30,000 people before the full-scale war, has been heavily battered by Russian attacks, forcing its residents to leave with only some 1,600 people remaining in the area as of mid-September.
The situation near Toretsk has been difficult for months, as the military reported clashes on the town's outskirts already back in August.
Francis Farrell
