Skip to content
Edit post

Russia claims capture of Donetsk Oblast village near Vuhledar, Kyiv doesn't confirm

by Martin Fornusek and The Kyiv Independent news desk September 10, 2024 11:38 AM 2 min read
An aerial view of the city of Vuhledar, Ukraine on Dec. 14, 2023. (Libkos/Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Russia's Defense Ministry claimed on Sept. 10 that its forces had captured the village of Vodiane northeast of the fortified Donetsk Oblast town of Vuhledar.

The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify the claim. A Ukrainian military spokesperson refused to comment.

Moscow's troops have recently ramped up their offensive near Vuhledar in southern Donetsk Oblast.

The loss of Vodiane, lying just some 5 kilometers from the town, would increase the risk of Vuhledar's encirclement.  

Russia's supposed capture of Vodiane was reported back on Sept. 9 by the Ukrainian crowd-sourced monitoring group DeepState.

The estimated Russian advance near Vuhledar, Donetsk Oblast, as of Sept. 9, 2024. (DeepState/Open Street Maps)

While there are signs of stabilization near Pokrovsk, the focal point of the Russian offensive in Donetsk Oblast, the situation grows increasingly difficult near Vuhledar. The front-line town lies around 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of occupied Donetsk and around 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of the administrative border with Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

The small mining town has lied close to the front line since 2014 and has been well-fortified in case of further Russian aggression. Vuhledar has withstood numerous attacks since the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022 and has become a key to Ukrainian defenses in the southern part of Donetsk Oblast.

"The loss of Vuhledar would be not only a morale blow for Ukraine since this city has resisted plenty of assaults since 2022, but also a very serious development that can potentially threaten the security of the entire southwestern portion of Donetsk Oblast not yet occupied, along with the threat to Pokrovsk's southern flank," Federico Borsari, a fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), told the Kyiv Independent.

Russia ramps up offensive on Vuhledar, Ukrainian stronghold in the east
While the Russian advance on Pokrovsk had slightly slowed down in recent days, Vuhledar, in the southern part of Donetsk Oblast, became a new focal point of the ongoing Russian offensive. Located 50 kilometers south of Pokrovsk, Vuhledar is often referred to as a “fortress” among the military and h…

News Feed

2:27 AM

Russia's strike on Sumy Oblast kills 2.

Russia attacked the Esman community in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy Oblast on Oct. 8 with guided bombs, killing two civilians, local military administration reports.
3:20 PM

Cuba asks to join BRICS as partner country in letter to Putin.

"Cuba has officially requested to join the BRICS as a 'Partner Country' through a letter to the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, who holds the presidency of the group," said Carlos M. Pereira, the director of bilateral relations at the Cuban Foreign Ministry, in an X post shared by the ministry's official account.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.