Russia Advance in Toretsk Endangers Ukraine’s Hold on Donetsk Region

Russian troops have advanced in Toretsk, a key logistics hub for Ukraine and a prime tactical target for Moscow in the Donetsk region, according to open-source intelligence DeepState.

A military expert told the Ukrainian news outlet TSN that the fall of Toretsk could allow Moscow to move against Kostyantynivka, one of Moscow’s strategic targets in its quest to capture the entire Donetsk region.

DeepState, using satellite imagery, confirmed the presence of Russian troops in the southeastern suburbs of the city, with the area occupied having increased by a few dozen blocks over the course of the month.

Russia also launched three strikes on Shcherbynivka, a rural settlement immediately west of Toretsk, according to the Ukrainian General Staff’s Tuesday morning operational updates, though DeepState did not confirm any Russian troop movements in the settlement.

An Oct. 11 Reuters report, citing a local official, said Ukraine controlled half of Toretsk at the time amidst heavy Russian assaults, with the British intelligence update claiming that “Russia has made gains into the center of the town” on the same day.

Toretsk lies 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Donetsk city and 22 kilometers (14 miles) south of Chasiv Yar, with a main road passing through the city itself.

Chasiv Yar, a strategic target for Russia, remains under Ukrainian control though it remains heavily contested, with Ukrainian troops reported to have successfully repelled recent Russian attempts to gain a foothold in the city.

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Military-political expert Dmytro Snehiryov previously told TV channel Freedom that “Toretsk is on strategic heights, as is Chasiv Yar,” where it also serves as a logistics center for Ukrainian forces.

“This will also make it possible to control the logistical routes connecting the operational rear of the Armed Forces with the combat zone,” Snehiryov added.

Russia has been making creeping gains in Ukraine’s eastern front in recent months, capturing Vuhledar, another key logistics hub and tactical stronghold in the region, after Ukrainian withdrawals on Oct. 1. Frontline troops later told Kyiv Post that Russia’s evolving tactics and the lack of reinforcements from Kyiv were to blame for the fall of Vuhledar.

Russia has also been intensifying assaults on Pokrovsk, another key city for Ukraine, though Ukrainian troops have maintained control of the city amidst reports that the situation remains “difficult” in that sector.