Russian troops have continued to storm the town of Chasiv Yar and nearby settlements in Donetsk Oblast amid a "great battle" for control of logistics routes, Nazar Voloshyn, the Khortytsia Group of Forces' spokesperson, told Interfax Ukraine on May 2.
Chasiv Yar is situated in Donetsk Oblast, around 10 kilometers west of Bakhmut and 50 kilometers north of Avdiivka, cities Russia captured in May 2023 and February 2024, respectively.
Russian forces have been focusing their efforts near Chasiv Yar, which they see as crucial for further advances toward the nearby cities of Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk, the Ukrainian military said in March.
Russian troops are trying to outflank through the villages of Bohdanivka and Ivanivske to capture Chasiv Yar, according to Voloshyn.
Russia is trying to destroy Ukrainian strongholds, including the town of Chasiv Yar, so Ukrainian forces will have "nowhere to defend themselves," the spokesperson said.
"The (Russian) occupiers are trying in every possible way to gain dominant heights, where Chasiv Yar is located, in order to continue the battle for territory and attack further Kostiantynivka, Druzhkivka, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk," Voloshyn said.
"The second line of defense is fortified. Defense forces are ready to fight the enemy."
Voloshyn also refuted claims that Russian forces broke through to the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas Canal to advance to the Kramatorsk agglomeration.
As many as 20,000 to 25,000 Russian troops are attempting to storm Chasiv Yar and surrounding settlements, Voloshyn previously reported on April 22.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier in April that Russia is attempting to capture the town by Victory Day on May 9, a heavily militarized holiday in Russia marking the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
Dinara Khalilova
(Updated: )
