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Ukraine announced on July 4 that its troops had withdrawn from the Kanal neighborhood in Chasiv Yar, a strategically important town in Donetsk Oblast, and the scene of an intense, bloody battle that began in early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.
Vadym Filashkin said it was becoming increasingly difficult for rescue and humanitarian workers to reach those that remain due to Russian shelling, with attempts only being made at night or early in the morning.
Drone footage shows what used to be home to 12,000 people has been reduced to a mass of rubble and burned out buildings as Russia continues its attempt to take the town.
Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson of the Khortytsia group of forces, also said Russian forces are unlikely to capture the embattled town of Chasiv Yar as they do not have enough strength for a full-scale offensive.
Key updates on May 3: * Ukraine may use British weapons to strike targets inside Russia, Cameron says * Military intelligence general: Chasiv Yar's fall probably a matter of time * Military intelligence carries out cyberattack in Russia's Tatarstan * Commander: Russia aims to completely occupy 3 oblasts in 2024 * Media: Italy to give
Russian attacks against the towns of Kurakhove and Chasiv Yar and the village of Netailove in Donetsk Oblast on May 3 killed three people and injured five, the regional prosecutor's office said.
"Not today or tomorrow, of course, but all depending on our reserves and supplies," a military intelligence deputy head, Major General Vadym Skibitsky, said in an interview with The Economist published on May 2.
Editor’s note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names and callsigns only. CHASIV YAR, DONETSK OBLAST – As he creeps between rubble-strewn garages near the central square of Chasiv Yar, the eyes and ears of the reconnaissance
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.
As Ukraine’s defenders and allies display a constellation of weaknesses, Russian forces are taking advantage and pushing forward in Donetsk Oblast. The Russians have begun their assault of Chasiv Yar, while a complementary, flanking assault is slowly pushing up from occupied Avdiivka, in an attempt to cut the supply
As the U.S. took months to approve the next package of much-needed military aid to Kyiv, Russia used the moment to step up its offensive operations in Ukraine. After capturing Avdiivka and multiple villages in the east, Moscow now has its eyes on the next primary target, the town
Russian troops are trying to encircle the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, Nazar Voloshyn, the Khortytsia Group of Forces' spokesperson, said on national television on April 26.
While it is possible that Russian forces may make some gains northwest of Avdiivka, an offensive in the area is "unlikely to develop into an operationally significant penetration, let alone cause the collapse of the Ukrainian defense west of Avdiivka," the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said.
After almost seven months of delays, the U.S. Congress finally approved $61 billion in aid for Kyiv, mostly in the form of military assistance. The legislation was promptly signed by U.S. President Joe Biden, and shortly after, the Pentagon announced the first defense package of $1 billion, containing
Russian forces are deploying chemical weapons in an attempt to capture the village of Ocheretyne in Donetsk Oblast, Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson for Ukraine's Khortytsia Group of Forces, said on April 23.
Key developments on April 22: * Military: Over 20,000 Russian troops trying to storm Chasiv Yar, outskirts * Budanov: Ukraine faces 'difficult situation' starting mid-May * Russia claims to have captured Novomykhailivka, Ukraine denies * Russia destroys Kharkiv TV tower * Poland cannot transfer Patriots to Ukraine but will provide other help, Tusk says
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.
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