Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Ukraine’s army forced to retreat as Russia closes in on strategically important town

Russian forces have focused on capturing Chasiv Yar for months

Hanna Arhirova
Thursday 04 July 2024 12:17 BST
Russian soldiers fire from their 152-mm Giatsint-B howitzer from their position at Ukrainian troops at an undisclosed location in Ukraine
Russian soldiers fire from their 152-mm Giatsint-B howitzer from their position at Ukrainian troops at an undisclosed location in Ukraine (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Ukraine has said its army has retreated from a neighborhood in the outskirts of Chasiv Yar.

It comes as the strategically important town in the eastern Donetsk region has been reduced to rubble under a months-long Russian assault.

Chasiv Yar lies a short distance west Bakhmut, which was captured by Russia last year after a bitter 10-month battle. For months, Russian forces have focused on capturing Chasiv Yar, a town which occupies a strategic, elevated location. Its fall would put nearby cities in jeopardy, compromise critical Ukrainian supply routes and bring Russia closer to its stated aim of seizing the entire Donetsk region.

The Ukrainian army retreated from a northeastern neighborhood in the town of Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesman for the Khortytsia ground forces formation said in a written message Thursday.

Ukraine's defensive positions in the town were “destroyed,” he said, adding that there was a threat of serious casualties if troops remained in the area and that Russia did not leave “a single intact building.”

Months of relentless Russian artillery strikes have devastated Chasiv Yar, with homes and municipal offices charred, and a town that once had a population of 12,000 has been left deserted.

A map of Chasiv Yar:

The intensity of Russian strikes on Ukraine’s defensive line in the area of Chasiv Yar has increased over the last month, Voloshyn said.

In the past week alone, Voloshyn said Russia has carried out nearly 1,300 strikes, fired nearly 130 glide bombs and made 44 ground assaults.

Other Russian attacks in recent weeks have focused on capturing nearby settlements that would allow them to advance to Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the biggest cities in the Ukrainian-controlled part of the Donetsk region.

Ukrainian commanders in the area say their resources remain stretched, largely due to a months-long gap in military assistance from the United States which threw Ukraine's military onto the defensive.

Russian soldiers fire from their 152-mm Giatsint-B howitzer from their position at Ukrainian troops at an undisclosed location in Ukraine.
Russian soldiers fire from their 152-mm Giatsint-B howitzer from their position at Ukrainian troops at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service)

In June, members of the artillery brigade in Chasiv Yar reported that supplies of American ammunition had started to arrive.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, the governor of the northern Chernihiv region, Viacheslav Chaus, said Russia launched 22 drones over Ukraine last night. One hit an infrastructure facility in the northern Chernihiv region, leaving nearly 6,000 customers without electricity, he said, adding that the rest were shot down.

Russia is continually targeting Ukraine’s badly-damaged energy infrastructure, resulting in hours of rolling blackouts across the country. Ukrainian officials have warned that the situation may worsen as winter approaches.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in