Key developments on Oct. 15: * North Korea has sent 10,000 soldiers to Russia, Western source says * Russia may resume strikes on Ukraine's energy sector in autumn, winter, official warns * 'No intact buildings left' in Toretsk, accelerating Russian advance, military says * US lawmakers pressuring Zelensky to lower mobilization age, Presidential
"Now the town looks more like a desert planet: there are no shelters for civilians or soldiers," said Anastasia Bobovnikova, a spokesperson of the Operational Tactical Group Luhansk.
Key developments on Oct. 11: * Russia launched new push in Kursk Oblast, Kyiv claims attack 'thwarted' * Ukraine holds 40-50% of Toretsk, official says * Scholz unveils $1.5 billion allied aid package, delivers IRIS-T air defense system * Ukraine sets up supervisory boards for lethal and non-lethal procurement agencies Russian forces launched
Administration head Vasyl Chynchyk said that roughly 1,150 people remain in the ruined town.
Russia’s invading army is racing against the weather clock, trying to seize yet more towns in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region before the ground gets muddy this autumn and temperatures later plunge. The coal mining town of Toretsk is on the verge of falling to Moscow’s forces, an
Key developments on Oct. 8: * 'Fights taking place at every building entrance' as Russia enters eastern Toretsk, military says * France to deliver first Mirage 2000 jets to Ukraine in early 2025 * Russian forces outnumbered Ukrainians tenfold in battle for Vuhledar, commander says * North Korea likely sending soldiers to Ukraine to
"The fighting is taking place within Toretsk itself. The situation is unstable; fights are ongoing literally at every building entrance," spokesperson Anastasia Bobovnikova said.
"At the time the brigade was deployed to the area, the situation on the front line was catastrophic," the Azov Brigade said on X.
Earlier, a video circulated on Telegram that showed three Ukrainian soldiers coming out of a basement with their hands up. The Ukrainians were then apprehended by Russian soldiers, placed face down on the ground and summarily shot.
The Ukrainian military said on Aug. 20 that clashes are ongoing at the village of Niu-York in Donetsk Oblast as multiple sources point to a rapid Russian advance deep into the settlement.
Russia targeted Toretsk, a front-line city suffering regular attacks, with artillery, killing a 71-year-old woman in the yard of her house.
"Despite the difficult, intense battles, the advance of our forces in Kursk Oblast continues," President Zelensky said.
Russian forces continue attacking Toretsk, and battles have now reached the outskirts of the town, military spokesperson Oleksandr Bordiian told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
The front-line settlement of Niu-York lies just south of Toretsk, a town that has become one of the focal points of the Russian offensive in Donetsk Oblast.
Watch our exclusive report from Ukrainian infantry positions near Toretsk as Russia continues its push in Donetsk Oblast.
Since February, Russian forces have steadily advanced across multiple sectors of the front in Donetsk Oblast. They have occupied villages previously liberated by Ukraine, wiped out entire towns, and introduced new threats to the region's overall defense. Alongside Chasiv Yar, Niu York, and other towns, Russia aims to capture Toretsk,
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 – There was already little resembling a road in front of the driver by the time the old pickup truck’s headlights were
The General Staff reported that the "hottest" situation currently lies in Pokrovsk, where Russian forces attacked Ukrainian positions 35 times.
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
A platoon leader said that the shortage of people in the 206th Battalion and lack of instruction from the 41st Brigade contributed to the loss of Niu-York's southern territory.
The active Russia-Ukraine front line has recently expanded as intense fighting continues in the areas of Pokrovsk and Toretsk, Ukraine's Chief Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said on July 2.
Civilian casualties were reported in Toretsk, Selydove, and the village of Yasenove, Governor Vadym Filashkin said.
Toretsk, the strategically important town located less than 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the front line, had a population of around 31,000 before the start of the full-scale invasion.
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.
Ukrainian forces are holding back Russia's assault in the Horlivka — Toretsk direction in Donetsk Oblast on June 22 amid ongoing fighting, Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Khortytsia group of forces, told the Kyiv Independent.
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.
