Russian forces capture town of Zalizne in Ukraine's east - defence ministry
Russia on Monday said its troops captured a "major" settlement in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, where Moscow's forces are advancing even as Ukraine mounts its own armed incursion into Russian territory.
- World
- Reuters
- Published Date: 05:05 | 19 August 2024
- Modified Date: 05:05 | 19 August 2024
Russia's Defence Ministry said on Monday that its forces had captured the town of Zalizne in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, as its offensive against the nearby city of Toretsk gains steam.
Zalizne, which Russia calls by its Soviet-era name of Artyomovo, adjoins Toretsk, a mining town and longtime bastion of Ukrainian forces operating in the Donbas region.
Zalizne had a pre-war population of around 5,000, while around 30,000 people lived in Toretsk.
Toretsk is close to the frontline with territories seized by Russian-backed separatists in 2014, and has anchored Kyiv's fortifications in the area since.
Russia is making steady gains in twin pushes towards Toretsk and Pokrovsk, another Donetsk region stronghold, even as Ukrainian forces try to push further into Russia's Kursk region in a cross-border offensive.
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