Key developments on Feb. 10: * Russia massing troops for new assaults in Chasiv Yar, military warns * Drones reportedly target key Russian oil refinery in Krasnodar Krai * Trump claims 'progress' on ending Russia-Ukraine war, confirms contact with Putin * Ukraine approves high-speed Baton drones for battlefield deployment * Ukraine to receive Patria 6x6
"Now there is a period of accumulation and concentration (by Russia)... on the approaches to Chasiv Yar and regrouping in the town itself for further assault operations," a military spokesperson said.
DRUZHKIVKA, Donetsk Oblast — A loud explosion goes off, followed by a second. People begin to run in different directions. Despite the chaos, taxi driver Serhiy Pohrebnyakov sits calmly behind the wheel, waiting for customers. Pohrebnyakov’s wife and daughter fled Druzhkivka after the start of the full-scale invasion, leaving him
This week, the Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur covers the top stories in Ukraine, from the U.S. foreign aid freeze to the battle of Chasiv Yar and the general situation on the battlefield. Also, what is the condition of the Australian POW in Russia’s hands?
Editor's note: This story has been updated with comment from a serviceman from Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade communications unit. Reports that the embattled Ukrainian city of Chasiv Yar has fallen to Russian forces have been dismissed by experts and officials speaking to the Kyiv Independent, and the latest OSINT data
When Oleg Petrasiuk began taking photos in 2009, photography was only meant to be a side gig to earn some money while in college. Eventually, it became his life’s work. After Russia launched its all-out war against Ukraine, Petrasiuk was drafted to serve in Ukraine’s Armed Forces. He
Key developments on Jan. 19: * Ukraine hits 2 oil depots in Russia overnight * Zelensky slaps sanctions on Ukraine's top pro-Russian politicians * Lack of medical treatment, problems with unit transfers most common causes of appeals, new military ombudsman says * Ukrainian troops withdraw from, launch attack on Chasiv Yar refractory plant * SBU
Ukrainian forces launched an aerial attack against a Russian-occupied refractory plant in the embattled city of Chasiv Yar, confirming earlier reports that Ukraine had withdrawn from the site.
Anastasia Bobovnikova, a spokesperson of the Operational Tactical Group Luhansk, said that fighting with the use of armored combat vehicles, motorcycles and buggies took place in the village of Nelipivka north of Toretsk.
"At the moment, they do not have an advantage in these towns. The contact line is stabilized," said Anastasia Bobovnikova, a spokesperson of the Operational Tactical Group Luhansk.
Hours prior, Ivan Petrychak, a representative of the 24th Mechanized Brigade's press service, said on national television that the Russian military managed to breach the defense, but there were no signs of the city's potential loss.
"The overall strategic position of the city remains under the control of Ukraine," Anastasia Bobovnikova, a spokesperson of the Operational Tactical Group Luhansk, said on Oct. 18.
Russian shelling struck a home and a high-rise building. Five men, aged 24-38, were killed as a result of the attack, said Donetsk Oblast Governor Vadym Filashkin.
DONETSK OBLAST – Gasping for air from a trench in eastern Ukraine, an infantryman was ready for the worst when a suffocating white smoke spread into his position. A Russian drone had just dropped a gas grenade into the trench, an internationally banned practice in warfare used to suffocate Ukrainian soldiers
If Chasiv Yar is fully captured, Russian forces could utilize its elevation to gain an increased advantage for attacks on the neighboring towns of Kostiantynivka and Druzhkivka, as well as the larger nearby city of Kramatorsk, said Andrii Polukhin, a spokesperson for Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade.
Outgunned and outmanned, Ukrainian soldiers struggling to hold the front line in a brutal, months-long Russian siege of Chasiv Yar are increasingly worried about their army's ability to protect their rear. If key supply lines from the west are cut off and if troops to their south are overrun, they
Russia has lost up to 5,000 service members in the fighting over one district of the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Khortytsia group of forces, said on July 6.
Ukraine announced on July 4 that its troops had withdrawn from the Kanal neighborhood in Chasiv Yar, a strategically important town in Donetsk Oblast, and the scene of an intense, bloody battle that began in early April of this year. Speaking on national TV, Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the
Key developments on July 4: * Ukraine withdraws from eastern Chasiv Yar neighborhood, military says * Media: Orban to meet with Putin in Moscow following Kyiv visit * 14 brigades underarmed, aid arriving too slowly, Zelensky comments on battlefield situation * Russia attacks port facilities near Odesa, killing 1, injuring 7 * 97% of Russian
The decision was made because defensive positions in the area were destroyed, and commanders agreed to withdraw to better-protected positions, said Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Khortytsia group of forces
Ukrainian troops pushed Russian forces out of the Kanal neighbourhood in the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Khortytsia group of forces, told Interfax Ukraine on June 21.
The Ukrainian military reported on June 18 an increase in Russian attacks near the town of Toretsk after a "long lull" in fighting in the area.
Units of the 24th separate mechanized brigade have been redeployed to bolster the defense of the front-line town of Chasiv Yar, where Russian forces are "constantly organizing massive frontal assaults and trying to bypass the settlement from the north and south."
Kyiv controls the situation in Ivanivske near Chasiv Yar, and Ukrainian forces continue to repel Russian troops in Staromaiorske in Donetsk Oblast, Nazar Voloshyn, the spoksperson of the Khortytsia group of forces, told the Kyiv Independent on June 11.
Key developments on June 6: * Ukraine's military intelligence destroys Russian tugboat in Crimea * Russian forces using thermobaric munitions in attacks on Chasiv Yar, says Ukraine * 'We're not authorizing strikes on Moscow,' Biden says on Ukraine's use of US arms * ‘A tyrant bent on domination,’ Biden says of Putin during
Thermobaric munitions "destroy and burn everything in their path," said Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Khortytsia group of forces.
Editor's Note: The Kyiv Independent is not disclosing soldiers' full names since they disclosed information without authorization from their command. DONETSK OBLAST—As public attention shifted to Moscow's renewed offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, Russian forces steadily advance in the country's easternmost Donbas region, which remains Moscow's primary target. Moving west
Russian attacks across the settlements in Donetsk Oblast killed three people and injured two on May 26, the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor’s Office reported.
The Russian troops are trying to advance near Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, but they have not entered the town, Kyrylo Sazonov, a soldier of the 41st separate mechanized brigade, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) on May 23.
Chasiv Yar, a largely destroyed town, has been seen as Russia’s next target after the fall of Bakhmut, while Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, is also a major Russian target.
Editor's note: We asked members of the Kyiv Independent community to share the questions they have about the war. Here's what they asked and how we answered. Join our community to ask a question in the next round. Read our previous answers here, here, here, here, and here What do
Heavy fighting with Russian troops is ongoing along the entire front line, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 10 after listening to Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi's report.
Chasiv Yar is a town in Donetsk Oblast, currently at the center of Russia’s military push further west into Ukraine. With a population of around 12,000 before the start of the full-scale invasion, its name means ‘quiet ravine’.
Chasiv Yar is situated around 10 kilometers (six miles) west of Bakhmut, captured by Russia in May 2023. Russia ramped up its offensive on Chasiv Yar in February 2024 after capturing Avdiivka, which lies about 50 kilometers (31 miles) to the south.
The Ukrainian military said on April 22 that Russia is deploying as many as 25,000 troops to take the town, which it sees as a crucial step for further advances toward Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk. These cities are considered the last strongholds of Ukrainian control over Donetsk Oblast.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia will attempt to capture Chasiv Yar by May 9, which Russia celebrates as “Victory Day,” a militaristic public holiday marking the end of the Second World War in Europe.
