Russian Troops Advance to Heart of Ukrainian Stronghold Vuhledar, Reports Reuters

By Olena Harmash and Gleb Garanich

KYIV – Russian troops have advanced into the center of Vuhledar, a key location on strategic high ground in eastern Ukraine that has withstood Russian attacks since the beginning of Moscow’s full-scale invasion, the regional governor of Donetsk said on Tuesday.

Social media footage showed Russian soldiers raising a flag atop a destroyed multi-storey building and unfurling another on a metal spire of a roof. This footage was confirmed to correspond with the street layouts of Vuhledar.

Additional images captured the scene of smoke rising from the devastated mining town, which has been a significant battleground where Ukrainian forces have previously repelled Russian armored assaults over the past two and a half years.

"The enemy is already nearly in the center of the city," said regional governor Vadym Filashkin during a broadcast on Ukrainian television, describing the situation as dire.

According to Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne, two soldiers from the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, which is defending Vuhledar, reported that while Russian forces controlled most of the town, "certain parts" still remained under Ukrainian command. "The brigade has received no order to leave the city," they stated.

A well-known war blog reported that Russian forces have taken control of Vuhledar and have planted Russian flags throughout the area.

Vuhledar is strategically important due to its elevated position and its location near the junction of the main eastern and southern fronts. Russian forces reached the outskirts of the town last week and have intensified their offensive since then.

Andriy Nazarenko, the commander of a drone battalion within the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, stated they were significantly outgunned and outnumbered in Vuhledar. "The situation in Vuhledar is very difficult; it is the hardest because assaults have been ongoing for more than six months and the enemy continuously rotates in fresh, trained forces," Nazarenko explained.

During a remote interview, he mentioned that his unit is doing everything possible to maintain a "window" for infantry to retreat from the town.

RUSSIA’S FAST ADVANCE

Since August, Russian troops in eastern Ukraine have achieved their fastest advances in over two years, showing no signs of slowing down, even as Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion into the Russian region of Kursk.

Previous attacks on Vuhledar were particularly brutal, with tanks and armored vehicles advancing in the open. Ukrainian military units shared photos of burning Russian tanks in fields on Tuesday.

Ukrainian military analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko estimated that between 2,000 and 3,000 Russian troops are currently in the town, attacking from three different directions. "We will not be able to hold on in Vuhledar under these conditions," Kovalenko stated, recommending that a decision to retreat be made swiftly.

Gaining full control over Vuhledar would enhance Russian logistical capabilities, allowing them to utilize railways more effectively, facilitating further advances in the region, and providing artillery positions on elevated ground. Russian forces are already shelling towns and villages in the area, and Governor Filashkin urged people to evacuate.

Filashkin reported that about 350,000 people remain in government-held areas of the region, down from approximately 1.9 million before the full-scale invasion in 2022. Only 107 civilians are left in Vuhledar, which had a pre-war population of about 14,000.

The Donetsk region, where Russian-backed groups initiated a rebellion in 2014, is one of four Ukrainian provinces that Moscow claims to have annexed since its full-scale invasion began in 2022. Capturing the rest of the province is among the primary objectives of Moscow’s military efforts.

Ukraine successfully repelled Russian forces from the outskirts of Kyiv and reclaimed territory in a counter-offensive in 2022. However, a subsequent counter-offensive last year did not achieve its goals, and Russian forces have largely maintained the initiative on the battlefield since then.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for increased Western support to enable Ukraine to push back against Russian advances, including the capability to use long-range weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory.