(Kyiv) The Ukrainian army assured Tuesday that it would continue to fight in Kurakhové, an industrial city in eastern Ukraine whose capture was claimed the day before by Russia, while clashes are also taking place in other cities of Donbass.
Posted at 6:26 a.m.
Russian forces said Monday they had raised the flag over this town which had around 18,000 inhabitants before the war and which constituted an important defensive position for Ukrainian forces in the south of this industrial region in the east of the country.
This loss has not been confirmed by Ukraine. On Tuesday morning, the Khortytsia troop group, which is fighting in the area, assured that “in the Kurakhové sector, the defense forces oppose the enemy’s attempts to use its superiority in men and develop a offensive”.
“Measures aimed at locating and destroying enemy assault groups that infiltrated our combat formations are underway,” he added, noting Russian “assault operations” in “the urban area of Kurakhové “.
The Ukrainian general staff indicated in its daily report that it had repelled 26 Russian attacks over the past day, including in Kurakhové.
The combat map established by the military blog DeepState, close to the Ukrainian army, shows the entirety of Kurakhové under Russian control.
According to DeepState, followed by more than 800,000 people on Telegram, “violent fighting” is also taking place for Toretsk, further north, where Russian soldiers have penetrated “into the northern and northwestern outskirts” of the city.
The Rybar Telegram channel, close to the Russian army and followed by more than 1.3 million people, affirmed that Kurakhové has been “completely liberated since yesterday” and that fighting continues to the west of the city.
She also reported fighting in Toretsk, in “the northern and western parts of the city,” which had a population of around 30,000 before the war.
Russia has advanced slowly but steadily on the front throughout 2024, but without achieving a major breakthrough. It also threatens the city of Pokrovsk, an important logistical hub for the Ukrainian army.
