Latest news with #Ukrainian-controlled
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Aerial images reveal scale of destruction in Ukrainian city
Shocking aerial images show how the Ukrainian city of Chasiv Yar has been reduced to a mangled hellscape by Russia's war machine. Chasiv Yar is a city in Donetsk, part of the Donbas region of Ukraine. For the last 15 months, Russia has waged a long running battle on the fortified eastern city. It is a key target for the Russians as it sits on higher ground, offering potential control for a wider area. Its capture would also give Russia more options to attack Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region to the west, which is not one of the areas that Moscow has claimed but where it says it has already established a small foothold. Constant bombardment by Russian shells have left the city looking like a skeleton of its former glory. Apartment buildings have been turned to rubble and ruin, with collapsed roofs, smashed windows and blocked roads. In July 2022, the city was struck by missile strikes, which killed 48 people, including a nine-year-old boy, according to authorities. Many locals fled and the city's population quickly shrunk from around 12,000 to nearly 700, according to Kyiv Independent. Last year, all remaining children were evacuated and only those unwilling or unable to leave remained in the city. Those who remained have faced dire conditions with access to water, gas and power cut off and constant shelling by the Russian army. In April, it was revealed that around 80 per cent of apartment buildings had already been critically damaged. The Russian army is currently pushing to capture the city of Pokrovsk, with more than 100,000 soldiers advancing in the area. Pokrovsk is a road and rail hub in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, which had a pre-war population of some 60,000 people. Most people have now fled, all children have been evacuated and, according to Serhii Dobriak, the head of the city's military administration, less than 1,500 residents remain. Moscow says it has annexed Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region and controls over 70 per cent of the area's territory. Capturing Pokrovsk, dubbed 'the gateway to Donetsk' by Russian media, and Kostiantynivka to its northeast, which Russian forces are also trying to envelop, would give Moscow a platform to drive north towards the two biggest remaining Ukrainian-controlled cities in Donetsk - Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. It lies on a key road which has been used by the Ukrainian military to supply other embattled eastern outposts, including Chasiv Yar. Control of Pokrovsk would allow Moscow to further disrupt Ukrainian supply lines along the eastern front and boost its long-running campaign to capture Chasiv Yar. Last year Russian forces were seen using flamethrower bombs on the buildings in Chasiv Yar as it continued to bring the town to ruin. The bombs disperse an aerosol cloud of fuel, which ignites, producing a massive explosion with a high-temperature blast wave. Shocking footage showed entire multi-storey buildings in the city being 'wiped off the face of the earth' alongside Ukrainian soldiers, according to a Russian special forces Telegram channel. Ukraine's top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi - who said in May that Ukraine had stalled the long grinding Russian offensive on Pokrovsk and even pushed back in some areas - said on Friday that his forces were standing firm. Ukrainian officials say Russia has relentlessly pounded their forces with artillery, glide bombs, and drones and sent in small groups of fighters to try to gain ground rather than commit large groups of infantry or armored vehicles. Russia has 111,000 soldiers in the Pokrovsk area, Syrskyi has estimated.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Obliterated by Putin's war machine: Shocking aerial images show how Ukrainian city has been reduced to a mangled hellscape by Russia's forces
Shocking aerial images show how the Ukrainian city of Chasiv Yar has been reduced to a mangled hellscape by Russia's war machine. Chasiv Yar is a city in Donetsk, part of the Donbas region of Ukraine. For the last 15 months, Russia has waged a long running battle on the fortified eastern city. It is a key target for the Russians at it sits on higher ground, offering potential control for a wider area. Its capture would also give Russia more options to attack Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region to the west, which is not one of the areas which Moscow has claimed but where it says it has already established a small foothold. Constant bombardment by Russian shells have left the city looking like a skeleton of its former glory. Apartment buildings have been turned to rubble and ruin, with collapsed roofs, smashed windows and blocked roads. As buildings sit destroyed, even the surrounding trees appear lifeless from the strikes In July 2022, the city was struck by missile strikes which killed 48 people, including a nine-year-old boy, according to authorities. Many locals fled and the city's population quickly shrunk from around 12,000 to nearly 700, according to Kyiv Independent. Last year all remaining children were evacuated and only those unwilling or unable to leave remained in the city. Those who remained have faced dire conditions with access to water, gas and power cut off and constant shelling by the Russian army. In April it was revealed that around 80 per cent of apartment buildings had already been critically damaged. The Russian army is currently pushing to capture the city of Pokrovsk, with more than 100,000 soldiers advancing in the area. Pokrovsk is a road and rail hub in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region which had a pre-war population of some 60,000 people. Most people have now fled, all children have been evacuated and, according to Serhii Dobriak, the head of the city's military administration, less than 1,500 residents remain. Moscow says it has annexed Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region and controls over 70 per cent of the area's territory. Capturing Pokrovsk, dubbed 'the gateway to Donetsk' by Russian media, and Kostiantynivka to its northeast which Russian forces are also trying to envelop, would give Moscow a platform to drive north towards the two biggest remaining Ukrainian-controlled cities in Donetsk - Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. It lies on a key road which has been used by the Ukrainian military to supply other embattled eastern outposts, including Chasiv Yar. Control of Pokrovsk would allow Moscow to further disrupt Ukrainian supply lines along the eastern front and boost its long-running campaign to capture Chasiv Yar. Last year Russian forces were seen using flamethrower bombs on the buildings in Chasiv Yar as it continued to bring the town to ruin. The bombs disperse an aerosol cloud of fuel which ignites, producing a massive explosion with a high-temperature blast wave. Shocking footage showed entire multi-storey buildings in the city being 'wiped off the face of the earth' alongside Ukrainian soldiers, according to a Russian special forces Telegram channel. Ukraine's top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi - who said in May that Ukraine had stalled the long grinding Russian offensive on Pokrovsk and even pushed back in some areas - said on Friday that his forces were standing firm. Ukrainian officials say Russia has relentlessly pounded their forces with artillery, glide bombs, and drones and sent in small groups of fighters to try to gain ground rather than commit large groups of infantry or armoured vehicles. Russia has 111,000 soldiers in the Pokrovsk area, Syrskyi has estimated. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has made various senior personnel changes in the army during the city's defence. Ukraine says Moscow has sustained huge losses after throwing everything it has at trying to break through. Moscow says Ukrainian forces are taking serious losses. Neither side discloses full casualty figures.
The Advertiser
02-07-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Ukraine struggles to contain Russian advances in east
Russian forces have made incursions near two towns key to army supply routes in eastern Ukraine, a Ukrainian military official says as the Kremlin seeks a breakthrough in an offensive at a time of uncertainty over US weapons support for Ukraine. In recent weeks, Russia has amassed forces and despite heavy losses has advanced in rural areas either side of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka, which both sit on crossroads running to the frontline from larger cities in Ukrainian-controlled territory. Russia's advances on the front are matched by an intensification of drone and missile strikes on Kyiv and other cities. So far, the efforts by US President Donald Trump have failed to achieve a ceasefire in the full-scale invasion launched by Russia in 2022. One of the aims of the Russian offensive is to occupy the rest of the Donetsk region. Russian soldiers are using small assault groups, light vehicles and drones to push towards the neighbouring region, said Viktor Trehubov, a spokesman for the Khortytsia group of forces. "There are constant attacks with the intent of breaking through" to the border of the Dnipropetrovsk region at any cost, Trehubov said in written comments to Reuters. Russia has 111,000 soldiers in the Pokrovsk area, which it has been trying to seize since early last year, Ukraine's top armed forces commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said last week, describing dozens of battles in the area every day. A decision by the US to halt some deliveries of various weapons including precision rocket artillery to Ukraine will worsen the situation on the ground for Ukraine's forces, said Jack Watling, a senior researcher at think-tank Royal United Services Institute. "The loss of these supplies will significantly degrade Ukraine's ability to strike Russian forces beyond 30km from the front line and therefore allow Russia to improve its logistics," Watling said. Ukrainian blog DeepState, which uses open-source data to map the frontline, said the Russian military in June had seized 556 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory, which it said was the largest monthly loss of ground since November. Russian forces, which have numerical superiority, cut the main road linking Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka in May, complicating Ukrainian movements and resupply efforts. "The Russian advance is being contained but their crossing of the Pokrovsk-Kostyantynivka highway is a strategic and logistical setback," Trehubov said. Heavy Russian losses have prevented Russian advances toward Kostiantynivka via Chasiv Yar or along the western Pokrovsk front, he said. "Now they are attempting (to advance) further away from populated areas," Trehubov said. DeepState also reported that Russian advances in June near Pokrovsk and nearby Novopavlivka accounted for more than half of all Russian gains along the entire frontline in all of Ukraine. Trehubov said Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka remain Ukrainian logistical hubs despite setbacks and drone activity which make some defensive fortifications less effective. "(Drones) hinder logistics for both sides but don't make it impossible. Drones after all are not invulnerable," he said. Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian invasion for more than three years. The Kremlin claims the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in their entirety and has ordered the establishment of buffer zones along the borders defined by Russia. Russian forces have made incursions near two towns key to army supply routes in eastern Ukraine, a Ukrainian military official says as the Kremlin seeks a breakthrough in an offensive at a time of uncertainty over US weapons support for Ukraine. In recent weeks, Russia has amassed forces and despite heavy losses has advanced in rural areas either side of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka, which both sit on crossroads running to the frontline from larger cities in Ukrainian-controlled territory. Russia's advances on the front are matched by an intensification of drone and missile strikes on Kyiv and other cities. So far, the efforts by US President Donald Trump have failed to achieve a ceasefire in the full-scale invasion launched by Russia in 2022. One of the aims of the Russian offensive is to occupy the rest of the Donetsk region. Russian soldiers are using small assault groups, light vehicles and drones to push towards the neighbouring region, said Viktor Trehubov, a spokesman for the Khortytsia group of forces. "There are constant attacks with the intent of breaking through" to the border of the Dnipropetrovsk region at any cost, Trehubov said in written comments to Reuters. Russia has 111,000 soldiers in the Pokrovsk area, which it has been trying to seize since early last year, Ukraine's top armed forces commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said last week, describing dozens of battles in the area every day. A decision by the US to halt some deliveries of various weapons including precision rocket artillery to Ukraine will worsen the situation on the ground for Ukraine's forces, said Jack Watling, a senior researcher at think-tank Royal United Services Institute. "The loss of these supplies will significantly degrade Ukraine's ability to strike Russian forces beyond 30km from the front line and therefore allow Russia to improve its logistics," Watling said. Ukrainian blog DeepState, which uses open-source data to map the frontline, said the Russian military in June had seized 556 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory, which it said was the largest monthly loss of ground since November. Russian forces, which have numerical superiority, cut the main road linking Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka in May, complicating Ukrainian movements and resupply efforts. "The Russian advance is being contained but their crossing of the Pokrovsk-Kostyantynivka highway is a strategic and logistical setback," Trehubov said. Heavy Russian losses have prevented Russian advances toward Kostiantynivka via Chasiv Yar or along the western Pokrovsk front, he said. "Now they are attempting (to advance) further away from populated areas," Trehubov said. DeepState also reported that Russian advances in June near Pokrovsk and nearby Novopavlivka accounted for more than half of all Russian gains along the entire frontline in all of Ukraine. Trehubov said Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka remain Ukrainian logistical hubs despite setbacks and drone activity which make some defensive fortifications less effective. "(Drones) hinder logistics for both sides but don't make it impossible. Drones after all are not invulnerable," he said. Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian invasion for more than three years. The Kremlin claims the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in their entirety and has ordered the establishment of buffer zones along the borders defined by Russia. Russian forces have made incursions near two towns key to army supply routes in eastern Ukraine, a Ukrainian military official says as the Kremlin seeks a breakthrough in an offensive at a time of uncertainty over US weapons support for Ukraine. In recent weeks, Russia has amassed forces and despite heavy losses has advanced in rural areas either side of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka, which both sit on crossroads running to the frontline from larger cities in Ukrainian-controlled territory. Russia's advances on the front are matched by an intensification of drone and missile strikes on Kyiv and other cities. So far, the efforts by US President Donald Trump have failed to achieve a ceasefire in the full-scale invasion launched by Russia in 2022. One of the aims of the Russian offensive is to occupy the rest of the Donetsk region. Russian soldiers are using small assault groups, light vehicles and drones to push towards the neighbouring region, said Viktor Trehubov, a spokesman for the Khortytsia group of forces. "There are constant attacks with the intent of breaking through" to the border of the Dnipropetrovsk region at any cost, Trehubov said in written comments to Reuters. Russia has 111,000 soldiers in the Pokrovsk area, which it has been trying to seize since early last year, Ukraine's top armed forces commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said last week, describing dozens of battles in the area every day. A decision by the US to halt some deliveries of various weapons including precision rocket artillery to Ukraine will worsen the situation on the ground for Ukraine's forces, said Jack Watling, a senior researcher at think-tank Royal United Services Institute. "The loss of these supplies will significantly degrade Ukraine's ability to strike Russian forces beyond 30km from the front line and therefore allow Russia to improve its logistics," Watling said. Ukrainian blog DeepState, which uses open-source data to map the frontline, said the Russian military in June had seized 556 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory, which it said was the largest monthly loss of ground since November. Russian forces, which have numerical superiority, cut the main road linking Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka in May, complicating Ukrainian movements and resupply efforts. "The Russian advance is being contained but their crossing of the Pokrovsk-Kostyantynivka highway is a strategic and logistical setback," Trehubov said. Heavy Russian losses have prevented Russian advances toward Kostiantynivka via Chasiv Yar or along the western Pokrovsk front, he said. "Now they are attempting (to advance) further away from populated areas," Trehubov said. DeepState also reported that Russian advances in June near Pokrovsk and nearby Novopavlivka accounted for more than half of all Russian gains along the entire frontline in all of Ukraine. Trehubov said Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka remain Ukrainian logistical hubs despite setbacks and drone activity which make some defensive fortifications less effective. "(Drones) hinder logistics for both sides but don't make it impossible. Drones after all are not invulnerable," he said. Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian invasion for more than three years. The Kremlin claims the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in their entirety and has ordered the establishment of buffer zones along the borders defined by Russia. Russian forces have made incursions near two towns key to army supply routes in eastern Ukraine, a Ukrainian military official says as the Kremlin seeks a breakthrough in an offensive at a time of uncertainty over US weapons support for Ukraine. In recent weeks, Russia has amassed forces and despite heavy losses has advanced in rural areas either side of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka, which both sit on crossroads running to the frontline from larger cities in Ukrainian-controlled territory. Russia's advances on the front are matched by an intensification of drone and missile strikes on Kyiv and other cities. So far, the efforts by US President Donald Trump have failed to achieve a ceasefire in the full-scale invasion launched by Russia in 2022. One of the aims of the Russian offensive is to occupy the rest of the Donetsk region. Russian soldiers are using small assault groups, light vehicles and drones to push towards the neighbouring region, said Viktor Trehubov, a spokesman for the Khortytsia group of forces. "There are constant attacks with the intent of breaking through" to the border of the Dnipropetrovsk region at any cost, Trehubov said in written comments to Reuters. Russia has 111,000 soldiers in the Pokrovsk area, which it has been trying to seize since early last year, Ukraine's top armed forces commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said last week, describing dozens of battles in the area every day. A decision by the US to halt some deliveries of various weapons including precision rocket artillery to Ukraine will worsen the situation on the ground for Ukraine's forces, said Jack Watling, a senior researcher at think-tank Royal United Services Institute. "The loss of these supplies will significantly degrade Ukraine's ability to strike Russian forces beyond 30km from the front line and therefore allow Russia to improve its logistics," Watling said. Ukrainian blog DeepState, which uses open-source data to map the frontline, said the Russian military in June had seized 556 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory, which it said was the largest monthly loss of ground since November. Russian forces, which have numerical superiority, cut the main road linking Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka in May, complicating Ukrainian movements and resupply efforts. "The Russian advance is being contained but their crossing of the Pokrovsk-Kostyantynivka highway is a strategic and logistical setback," Trehubov said. Heavy Russian losses have prevented Russian advances toward Kostiantynivka via Chasiv Yar or along the western Pokrovsk front, he said. "Now they are attempting (to advance) further away from populated areas," Trehubov said. DeepState also reported that Russian advances in June near Pokrovsk and nearby Novopavlivka accounted for more than half of all Russian gains along the entire frontline in all of Ukraine. Trehubov said Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka remain Ukrainian logistical hubs despite setbacks and drone activity which make some defensive fortifications less effective. "(Drones) hinder logistics for both sides but don't make it impossible. Drones after all are not invulnerable," he said. Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian invasion for more than three years. The Kremlin claims the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in their entirety and has ordered the establishment of buffer zones along the borders defined by Russia.
Perth Now
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Ukraine struggles to contain Russian advances in east
Russian forces have made incursions near two towns key to army supply routes in eastern Ukraine, a Ukrainian military official says as the Kremlin seeks a breakthrough in an offensive at a time of uncertainty over US weapons support for Ukraine. In recent weeks, Russia has amassed forces and despite heavy losses has advanced in rural areas either side of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka, which both sit on crossroads running to the frontline from larger cities in Ukrainian-controlled territory. Russia's advances on the front are matched by an intensification of drone and missile strikes on Kyiv and other cities. So far, the efforts by US President Donald Trump have failed to achieve a ceasefire in the full-scale invasion launched by Russia in 2022. One of the aims of the Russian offensive is to occupy the rest of the Donetsk region. Russian soldiers are using small assault groups, light vehicles and drones to push towards the neighbouring region, said Viktor Trehubov, a spokesman for the Khortytsia group of forces. "There are constant attacks with the intent of breaking through" to the border of the Dnipropetrovsk region at any cost, Trehubov said in written comments to Reuters. Russia has 111,000 soldiers in the Pokrovsk area, which it has been trying to seize since early last year, Ukraine's top armed forces commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said last week, describing dozens of battles in the area every day. A decision by the US to halt some deliveries of various weapons including precision rocket artillery to Ukraine will worsen the situation on the ground for Ukraine's forces, said Jack Watling, a senior researcher at think-tank Royal United Services Institute. "The loss of these supplies will significantly degrade Ukraine's ability to strike Russian forces beyond 30km from the front line and therefore allow Russia to improve its logistics," Watling said. Ukrainian blog DeepState, which uses open-source data to map the frontline, said the Russian military in June had seized 556 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory, which it said was the largest monthly loss of ground since November. Russian forces, which have numerical superiority, cut the main road linking Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka in May, complicating Ukrainian movements and resupply efforts. "The Russian advance is being contained but their crossing of the Pokrovsk-Kostyantynivka highway is a strategic and logistical setback," Trehubov said. Heavy Russian losses have prevented Russian advances toward Kostiantynivka via Chasiv Yar or along the western Pokrovsk front, he said. "Now they are attempting (to advance) further away from populated areas," Trehubov said. DeepState also reported that Russian advances in June near Pokrovsk and nearby Novopavlivka accounted for more than half of all Russian gains along the entire frontline in all of Ukraine. Trehubov said Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka remain Ukrainian logistical hubs despite setbacks and drone activity which make some defensive fortifications less effective. "(Drones) hinder logistics for both sides but don't make it impossible. Drones after all are not invulnerable," he said. Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian invasion for more than three years. The Kremlin claims the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in their entirety and has ordered the establishment of buffer zones along the borders defined by Russia.
Al Etihad
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Etihad
Ukraine struggles to contain Russian summer advances as US aid stalls
2 July 2025 19:56 KYIV (REUTERS) Russia has made incursions near two towns key to army supply routes in eastern Ukraine, a Ukrainian military official said on Wednesday, as Moscow seeks a breakthrough in a summer offensive at a time of uncertainty over US support for recent weeks, Russia has amassed forces and despite heavy losses has advanced in rural areas either side of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka, which both sit on crossroads running to the frontline from larger cities in Ukrainian-controlled advances on the front are matched by an intensification of drone and missile strikes on Kyiv and other cities, following signs that Washington's support for Ukraine's war effort is far, the efforts by US President Donald Trump have failed to achieve a ceasefire in the full-scale invasion launched by Russia in of the aims of the Russian offensive is to occupy the rest of the Donetsk region. Now, they are using small assault groups, light vehicles, and drones to push towards the neighbouring region, said Viktor Trehubov, a spokesperson for the Khortytsia group of forces."There are constant attacks with the intent of breaking through" to the border of the Dnipropetrovsk region at any cost, Trehubov said in written comments to now has 111,000 soldiers in the Pokrovsk area, which it has been trying to seize since early last year, Ukraine's top armed forces commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said last week, describing dozens of battles in the area every day.A decision by Washington to halt some deliveries of various weapons including precision rocket artillery to Kyiv will worsen the situation on the ground for Ukraine's forces, said Jack Watling, a senior researcher at the Royal United Services Institute, a think-tank."The loss of these supplies will significantly degrade Ukraine's ability to strike Russian forces beyond 30 km (19 miles) from the front line and therefore allow Russia to improve its logistics," Watling said.
