Ukraine says it foiled Russian spy agency plot to assassinate Zelensky
The fall of Donetsk, a crucial town, would move Russia closer to capturing the whole area.
The Ukrainian military claims it has withdrawn from a neighborhood on the outskirts of strategically vital Chasiv Yar in eastern Donetsk, where Russian troops just took a district.
The military said Thursday that “the enemy had entered”, damaging “defenders’ positions” and endangering “the lives and wellbeing of our soldiers” after retreating from the town’s Kanal neighborhood.
The Ukrainian military’s Khortytsia ground forces formation spokeswoman told state-run media, “The command decided to retreat to better protected and prepared positions.”
On Wednesday, Russia’s Ministry of Defence seized control of Novyi, a region west of the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas canal in eastern the town.
Russian troops have targeted Chasiv Yar, a key military base with a high position, for months. The town is near west Bakhmut, which Russia took last year following a 10-month fight.
The collapse of Chasiv Yar would threaten Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, disrupt Ukrainian supply lines, and move Russia closer to taking Donetsk.
More violent Russian attacks have destroyed houses and municipal buildings in the hilltop hamlet, whose 12,000 residents have fled.
Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukrainian Armed Forces via Reuters: Chasiv Yar frontline building destroyed.
The military official claimed Russia has launched about 1,300 strikes, 130 glide bombs, and 44 ground assaults in Chasiv Yar in the previous week.
The Kremlin claims Donetsk, which has been battling since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, is its territory. Kremlin-backed separatists have ruled portions of the industrial area since 2014.
Ukrainian commanders in the region said their resources are limited owing to a months-long US military aid deficit that put Ukraine on the defense.
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