Russian forces have advanced across a key waterway in the eastern Ukrainian stronghold of Chasiv Yar, marking a setback for Kyiv’s forces, a Ukrainian military official confirmed.
Chasiv Yar, once home to around 12,000 people before the war, sits on a strategic hilltop, and its capture could accelerate Russian advances deeper into the war-ravaged Donetsk region.
“The enemy breached our defense lines, but there is no critical failure, and we are not on the verge of losing Chasiv Yar. Intense fighting is ongoing,” said a spokesperson for Ukraine’s 24th Brigade in state-run media.
Ivan Petrychak, the spokesperson, acknowledged that while Russian forces had crossed the canal on the town’s eastern edge, Ukrainian troops were holding the line and containing the advance.
Russian forces have been steadily pressuring Ukraine’s outnumbered troops in the Donetsk region, which Moscow claims is part of Russia.
If the town falls under Russian control, it would threaten major population centers in the industrial region, including Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
There have been earlier reports of Russian attempts to cross the canal, which serves as a de facto front line in Chasiv Yar, but Ukraine has previously claimed to have repelled them.
Meanwhile, Russian drone and artillery strikes killed five people, including a child, in the northeastern Ukrainian regions of Sumy and Donetsk, local officials reported on Tuesday.
Sumy, located near Russia’s Kursk region, has been a target since Ukraine launched a major offensive there in August, successfully holding significant areas of territory.
