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Miami Herald
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Russia Deploys FSB's ‘Presidential Regiment' to Key Ukraine Fortress Town
Russia has deployed its elite FSB "Presidential Regiment" to protect the strategically important eastern Ukrainian town of Chasiv Yar, according to Kyiv's military. The regiment is assisting Russia's 98th Parachute Division in its efforts to seize the fortress town, where fighting has been ongoing for more than a year, according to Ivan Petrychak, spokesperson for the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade. The town of Chasiv Yar, which had a pre-war population of more than 12,000, and is dissected by a canal, is located in the Donetsk region and has been the focus of Russia's military since March 2024. Its strategic position has allowed Ukraine's forces to hold the town and deal heavy losses to advancing Russian troops. The regiment under Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), which reports directly to President Vladimir Putin, is "significantly strengthening" the Russian 98th Parachute Division in Chasiv Yar, Petrychak said. "These are top-level specialists. Now we have to face very intense fighting, and very accurate and precise work," he said. Petrychak suggested the deployment signals that Russian forces are facing some trouble in the area. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S.-based think tank, said Monday that the Presidential Regiment is "primarily responsible for fulfilling honor guard duties at state functions and guarding Russian officials, the Kremlin, and the Eternal Flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin Wall." "ISW has not previously observed the regiment operating in Ukraine. Russian state media reported in 2014 and 2016 that the unit is approximately the size of a motorized rifle brigade and is composed of conscripts and contract soldiers," the think tank said. Fierce fighting is ongoing in Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk—two regions largely under Russian occupation. The Kremlin has been pushing for the total capture of the two regions since Russia's covert intervention in eastern Ukraine in 2014. The ISW said it assessed that Russian forces lack the capacity to make significant battlefield advances in the near future. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Monday: "The Russian military command's decision to deploy the Presidential Regiment to fight in Ukraine is likely part of a larger Russian effort to intimidate Ukraine and the West through intensified battlefield activity and portray Russian forces as elite and fully capable of achieving significant successes in Ukraine in the near future. "The Russian military command may also be trying to feed any manpower available into the Chasiv Yar area due to its apparent effort to prioritize offensive operations against Kostyantynivka in recent months." Fighting in Donetsk is expected to intensify as Russian forces continue their push to seize full control of the region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Putin to hold face-to-face bilateral peace talks in Istanbul on Thursday. The Kremlin hasn't confirmed whether the Russian president will attend the proposed meeting. "President Zelensky will not meet with any other Russian representative in Istanbul, except Putin," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Tuesday. Related Articles Russia's New 'BanderoL' Cruise Missile ExplainedZelensky Throws Down the Gauntlet to PutinKremlin Silent as Ukraine War Ultimatum Deadline Passes: What Happens NextTrump Says He Could Join Putin and Zelensky for Peace Talks Thursday 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Russia Deploys FSB's 'Presidential Regiment' to Key Ukraine Fortress Town
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Russia has deployed its elite FSB "Presidential Regiment" to protect the strategically important eastern Ukrainian town of Chasiv Yar, according to Kyiv's military. The regiment is assisting Russia's 98th Parachute Division in its efforts to seize the fortress town, where fighting has been ongoing for more than a year, according to Ivan Petrychak, spokesperson for the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade. Why It Matters The town of Chasiv Yar, which had a pre-war population of more than 12,000, and is dissected by a canal, is located in the Donetsk region and has been the focus of Russia's military since March 2024. Its strategic position has allowed Ukraine's forces to hold the town and deal heavy losses to advancing Russian troops. Ukrainian servicemen prepare a drone for its flight toward the front line in the area of Chasiv Yar in Ukraine's Donetsk region on April 29, 2025. Ukrainian servicemen prepare a drone for its flight toward the front line in the area of Chasiv Yar in Ukraine's Donetsk region on April 29, 2025. GENYA SAVILOV/AFP/Getty Images What To Know The regiment under Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), which reports directly to President Vladimir Putin, is "significantly strengthening" the Russian 98th Parachute Division in Chasiv Yar, Petrychak said. "These are top-level specialists. Now we have to face very intense fighting, and very accurate and precise work," he said. Petrychak suggested the deployment signals that Russian forces are facing some trouble in the area. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S.-based think tank, said Monday that the Presidential Regiment is "primarily responsible for fulfilling honor guard duties at state functions and guarding Russian officials, the Kremlin, and the Eternal Flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin Wall." "ISW has not previously observed the regiment operating in Ukraine. Russian state media reported in 2014 and 2016 that the unit is approximately the size of a motorized rifle brigade and is composed of conscripts and contract soldiers," the think tank said. Fierce fighting is ongoing in Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk—two regions largely under Russian occupation. The Kremlin has been pushing for the total capture of the two regions since Russia's covert intervention in eastern Ukraine in 2014. The ISW said it assessed that Russian forces lack the capacity to make significant battlefield advances in the near future. What People Are Saying The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Monday: "The Russian military command's decision to deploy the Presidential Regiment to fight in Ukraine is likely part of a larger Russian effort to intimidate Ukraine and the West through intensified battlefield activity and portray Russian forces as elite and fully capable of achieving significant successes in Ukraine in the near future. "The Russian military command may also be trying to feed any manpower available into the Chasiv Yar area due to its apparent effort to prioritize offensive operations against Kostyantynivka in recent months." What Happens Next Fighting in Donetsk is expected to intensify as Russian forces continue their push to seize full control of the region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Putin to hold face-to-face bilateral peace talks in Istanbul on Thursday. The Kremlin hasn't confirmed whether the Russian president will attend the proposed meeting. "President Zelensky will not meet with any other Russian representative in Istanbul, except Putin," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Tuesday.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia brings in 'top-level' FSB Presidential Regiment to Chasiv Yar, Ukraine's army says
Russian forces attempting to take the Ukrainian city of Chasiv Yar have been bolstered by the elite FSB Presidential Regiment, Suspilne media reported on May 11. Chasiv Yar is a strategically important town in Donetsk Oblast and the scene of an intense, long-running, and bloody battle that began in early April 2024. According to Ivan Petrychak, spokesperson for the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, Russian forces continue to be unsuccessful in their attempts to capture the city, and have called upon the elite regiment for reinforcement. Petrychak said the Russian 98th Parachute Division has been joined by the FSB Presidential Regiment, "significantly strengthening them." "These are top-level specialists. Now we have to face very intense fighting, and very accurate and precise work," he said. "If the Russians are using this level of specialists in urban combat, they are probably facing some difficulties as well." The FSB Presidential Regiment — also known as the Kremlin Regiment — is responsible for the security of the Kremlin, the valuables stored within it, and state officials, as well as conducting ceremonial duties such as the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Alexander Garden, Moscow. It is not typically deployed to fight abroad. Russia's months-long attacks on Chasiv Yar are part of its grinding, slow, and costly advances in Donetsk Oblast. "Now the battles in Chasiv Yar have an urban warfare character. When they can't take it by storm, they get the air force and just destroy the city, neighborhood by neighborhood," Petrychak said. Since the fall of Bakhmut in May 2023 and the fall of Avdiivka in February 2024, Russian forces overran one village after another and took up positions close to Chasiv Yar. Located on hills that serve as natural defensive structures, Chasiv Yar town boasts the highest point in the area, a strategic point for any army wanting to gain an advantage. The town is divided in the east by the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas canal, creating a barrier between the Kanal micro-district and the rest of the town. Throughout most of spring 2024, Kyiv's forces managed to keep Russian troops out of the town. On June 27, 2024, the Ukrainian army reported it had pushed out Russian forces that had entered the Kanal neighborhood. In early 2025, the Russian military seized the Chasiv Yar Refractory Plant, Ukrainska Pravda reported on January 18, but this was not confirmed by Ukrainian officials. On March 7, DeepState analysts said fighting was going on throughout the whole city, with Russians trying to hide in the high-rise buildings' ruins. As of April 28, 156 residents remained in Chasiv Yar, according to Ruslan Pryimenko, deputy head of the Chasiv Yar military administration. Read also: EU to unveil new sanctions against Russia on May 14, source says We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
