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. DONETSK OBLAST – Scanning an array of nine video feeds from a command point in an abandoned summer, mortar battery commander Tymur “Babai” searches for
The Kyiv Independent spent a night shift with a Vampire team fighting between Kurakhove and Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, the hottest part of the front line, on a mine-laying mission.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed on Jan. 12 that its forces had captured the village of Yantarne in Donetsk Oblast and Kalynove in Kharkiv Oblast.
Key developments on Jan. 10: * Ukrainian Neptune missile hits Russian drone warehouse in Rostov Oblast, SBU source claims * Ukraine conducts 'precision strike' on Russian army command post in Donetsk Oblast, General Staff claims * Ukrainian forces defending Kurakhove thermal power plant amid intense fighting in Donetsk Oblast, military says * Scholz blocks
Kurakhove has become one of the focal points of the Russian offensive in Donetsk Oblast over the past few months.
Russia keeps on advancing in eastern Donetsk Oblast, taking hold of Kurakhove, which would become the first major town to fall into Russian hands in 2025. Russian troops are continuing to push on the Lyman, Siversk, Kramatorsk, Toretsk, Pokrovsk and Kurakhove axes, Ukraine's General Staff said in its latest update.
Key developments on Jan. 7: * Ukraine hits Russia's infantry brigade command post in Kursk Oblast, military claims * In historic record, Ukrainian F-16 pilot downs 6 cruise missiles in single mission, Air Force claims * Trump blames Biden for provoking Russia's war by supporting Ukraine's NATO aspirations * Ukraine says it holds Kurakhove's
"The situation in Kurakhove is really quite difficult right now, because a significant part of the city has been destroyed," Khortytsia group of forces spokesperson Viktor Trehubov said on national television Jan. 7, only a day after Russia announced full control over the town.
Ukraine's Khortytsia group of forces reported on Jan. 6 that battles are ongoing in the Kurakhove sector.
Ukrainian forces are enjoying success in the Kupiansk sector, where two Russian bridgeheads that emerged during the crossing of the Oskil River were destroyed, Estonian intelligence said.
Russia claimed control over the village of Beretsky in Donetsk Oblast, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Dec. 7. Ukrainian officials have not commented on Russia's claims, which could not be independently verified.
Prior to the statement, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi visited Ukrainian units in the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove directions of the front line.
Russian military conducts up to 10 assaults daily in an attempt to approach the town of Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast, Oleksandr Nevidomyi, head of the communications department of the 46th separate airmobile brigade, told Suspilne on Nov. 20.
If confirmed, this will be the latest village that the Russian forces took in their attempt to encircle Kurakhove by driving their forces towards Konstiantynopil with a north-south pincer movement.
Key developments on Nov. 11: * Russian forces damage Kurakhove Reservoir dam in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine says * Russian missile hits high-rise building in Kryvyi Rih, at least 14 injured including two children * Russian attack in Zaporizhzhia Oblast expected 'any day,' military says * Russian Mi-24 attack helicopter set ablaze at Moscow
"This attack potentially threatens residents of settlements on the Vovcha River, both in Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts," Donetsk Oblast Governor Vadym Filashkin said.
Russia has captured 1,146 square kilometers (442 square miles) in Ukraine since Aug. 6, about a quarter more than in the first seven months of the year, Bloomberg reported.
The attack reportedly involved seven tanks and 11 infantry fighting vehicles, with Ukrainian forces destroying seven pieces of Russian equipment.
Ukrainian paratroopers damaged one Russian tank, destroyed two others as well as two Russian armored vehicles with troops, Ukraine's 79th Tavrian Air Assault Brigade said.
Key developments on Sept. 12: * Russia claims to have recaptured 10 settlements in Kursk Oblast amid ongoing counterattack * Russia pushing toward Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast from several vectors * Ukraine downs Russian Su-30 aircraft above Black Sea, military intelligence claims * Zelensky urges the West to allow long-range strikes without distance limits
Russian troops are pushing on the town of Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast from three directions, but their advance has slowed down, Nazar Voitenkov, acting spokesperson for Ukraine's 33rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on Sept. 12.
Ukraine's 79th Tavrian Air Assault Brigade stopped another large-scale attempt by Russian forces to advance near Kurahove in Donetsk Oblast, the Airborne Assault Troops Command reported on July 30.
Russian forces launched a series of attacks on multiple settlements in Donetsk Oblast on the morning of June 23, injuring five civilians, the regional prosecutor's office reported.
Russia deployed the largest number of assault units from eight strike brigades in the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove sectors in Donetsk Oblast, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said on June 12.
Russian troops are trying to break through Ukraine's defenses and reach the cities of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on May 6.
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