Russia captures key town in eastern Ukraine after two years of grinding battle

Moscow: Russian forces have taken control of the eastern Ukrainian town of Vuhledar, the Russian Defence Ministry confirmed, crediting what it called decisive action taken by units in its “East” military grouping.

Vuhledar, a town Ukrainian forces fought tooth and nail to keep, is the latest urban settlement to fall to Russian as the war stretches deep into its third year and the Ukrainian army is gradually being pushed back in the eastern Donetsk province.

An aerial view of Vuhledar, the site of heavy battles with the Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine.Credit: AP

It follows a vicious northern summer campaign along the eastern front that forced Kyiv to cede several thousand square kilometres of territory as the Russian army hacked its way westward, obliterating towns and villages with missiles, glide bombs, artillery and drones.

The town, which Russia calls Ugledar, had resisted Russian assaults for more than two years.

Ukraine’s Khortytsia ground forces formation, which commands eastern regions including Donetsk, said in a statement posted on Telegram that it was withdrawing troops from Vuhledar to “protect military personnel and equipment”.

“In an attempt to take control of the city at any cost, [Russian] reserves were directed to carry out flanking attacks, which exhausted the defence of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As a result of the enemy’s actions, there arose a threat of encircling the city,” the statement said.

A residential building which was destroyed by Russian forces is seen through the broken window, in the frontline city of Vuhledar.Credit: AP

The tactical significance of the town, situated at the confluence of two major roads, is that dominant heights and proximity to railway lines offer Moscow greater protection for their own logistics routes and a better vantage point for attacks against Ukrainian forces and supply lines.

Its capture is another notch in Moscow’s belt, bringing it closer to the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk.

During his first visit to Kyiv since becoming NATO chief, Mark Rutte told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “your security matters for ours”.

Rutte, the alliance’s secretary-general, also reiterated NATO’s pledge that Ukraine would one day be a NATO member, but Zelensky said he wanted the Western allies urgently to provide the kind of active military support that some of them have given to Israel in its battle with Iran.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (left) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a press conference in Kyiv.Credit: AP

“Your security matters for ours, and your fight for freedom reflects our core principles and values,” Rutte told a joint news conference, stressing that his first foreign trip as NATO chief demonstrated the alliance’s staunch support for Kyiv.

“Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before, and it will continue along this path until it secures NATO membership,” said Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister who only took up his new job on Tuesday.

Zelensky said he wanted to see Kyiv’s allies shooting down missiles and drones used by Russia in its attacks on Ukraine, just as some of Israel’s allies did when Tehran attacked Israel with missiles this week.

“We are working with them, at present they are not ready to do this,” Zelensky said.

A Ukrainian marine serviceman runs to take a position through the residential blocks in the frontline city of Vuhledar, Ukraine.Credit: AP

Zelensky also renewed his appeal to the Western allies to allow Ukraine to conduct deep strikes inside Russia with weapons supplied by them, saying they were “delaying” their decision.

“Without long-range weapons, we cannot stop Russia, which is using those weapons against us, destroying everything,” he said.

Reuters, AP

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