Russian forces have reportedly seized control of the strategically significant coal-mining city of Toretsk in eastern Ukraine, according to a statement from Russia’s Defence Ministry on Friday.
The city, which had a pre-war population of approximately 30,000, is referred to by Russia by its Soviet-era name, Dzerzhinsk. Russia asserts that the eastern Donetsk region, where Toretsk is situated, is now part of its territory, a claim that Ukraine vehemently disputes as unfounded.
Ukrainian military analysts suggest that the capture of Toretsk, located on elevated terrain, could enable Russian forces to further disrupt logistics for Ukrainian troops across much of the eastern front and potentially advance northwest towards the regional logistics center of Kostiantynivka, which connects to several important cities. The majority of Toretsk’s civilian residents have either fled or been evacuated, and many structures within the city are either destroyed or severely damaged.
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