Ukraine’s Army has retreated from a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Chasiv Yar, Nazar Voloshyn, a spokesperson for the Khortytsua ground forces formation, said on Thursday.
A strategically important town in the eastern Donetsk region which has been reduced to rubble under a months-long Russian assault, Chasiv Yar occupies a strategically elevated location. It lies a short distance west of Bakhmut, which was captured by Russia last year after a bitter 10-month battle.
For months, Russian forces have focused on capturing Chasiv Yar and its fall puts nearby cities in jeopardy, compromises critical Ukrainian supply routes and brings Russia closer to its stated aim of seizing the entire Donetsk region.
Ukraine’s defensive positions in the town were “destroyed,” the spokesperson said, adding that there was a threat of serious casualties if troops remained in the area and that Russia did not leave “a single intact building.”
The intensity of Russian strikes on Ukraine’s defensive line in the area of Chasiv Yar has increased over the last month and the town that once had a population of 12,000 has been left deserted, Mr. Voloshyn said.
Other Russian attacks in recent weeks have focused on capturing nearby settlements that would allow them to advance to Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the biggest cities in the Ukrainian-controlled part of the Donetsk region.
