Ukrainian forces continue to hold positions in the western outskirts of Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast and a local power plant, but the situation in the town is "difficult," a military spokesperson said on Jan. 7.
"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 on Jan. 7, only a day after Russia claimed to have full control over the town.
Kurakhove has become one of the focal points of the Russian offensive in Donetsk Oblast over the past few months, turning the town into one of the hottest sectors of the front.
The town lies over 20 kilometers (over 10 miles) north of Russian-occupied Vuhledar and over 30 kilometers (almost 20 miles) south of the key front-line town of Pokrovsk.
"Ukrainian troops are holding on the western part of the town, its western outskirts. They are also holding onto a power plant located in the town," Trehubov added. According to the spokesperson, Russian forces are attempting to raze Kurakhove building by building, destroying any potential defenses for Ukrainian soldiers.
This method mirrors Russian tactics used in other front-line towns like Toretsk, where there are reportedly "no intact buildings left" after Moscow's onslaught.
In its Jan. 7 report, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported fending off 26 Russian assaults in the Kurakhove sector, including in the area of the town itself.
The DeepState monitoring group shows Kurakhove almost completely in Russian hands, save for small areas in the west.
If taken, Kurakhove would be the first significant town to fall into Russian hands in 2025 after Russia took Avdiivka and Vuhledar last year. Moscow's troops now focus their efforts at Pokrovsk, an important logistics hub, as part of their overall goal to capture the entire Donetsk Oblast.
Martin Fornusek
(Updated: )
