Ukraine regains control of most of Tovste in Donetsk Oblast, military says
Ukrainian forces have retaken most of the village of Tovste in eastern Donetsk Oblast, the country's Dnipro Group of Forces said on Aug. 21.
The 5th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade pushed Russian troops from the settlement through coordinated operations involving infantry, drone units and artillery, according to the military. Tovste is a front-line village southwest of the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk and near the key occupied town of Vuhledar.
Earlier, on Aug, 17, Ukraine's military said they cleared Russian troops from several other villages in Donetsk Oblast including Hruzke, Rubizhne, Novovodiane, Petrivka, Vesele, and Zolotyi Kolodiaz.
The advance comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Aug. 21 that Russia would need another four years to fully occupy Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, despite Moscow's claims.
Russia first invaded Donbas — a region comprising Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts — in 2014 and escalated into a full-scale war in 2022. After four years of all-out fighting, Russian forces control an estimated 67 to 69% of Donetsk Oblast, Zelensky said.
"I explained to (U.S. President Donald Trump) that the talks about them (Russia) occupying our Donbas by the end of (2025) are all just chatter," Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president added that Moscow insists on a full Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbas as a precondition for peace talks, calling it a staged "victory" narrative for the Russian public.
Reports have suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested the idea of trading small occupied areas in Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts for Ukrainian concessions in Donetsk and Luhansk. Zelensky rejected such proposals, stressing that Ukraine will not legally recognize any territorial occupation.
