Russia claims capture of Toretsk after months of intense fighting

Russia announced on Friday that its forces had seized control of Toretsk, an eastern Ukrainian town in the Donetsk region, following months of heavy battles. This marks the largest urban center Moscow claims to have captured in recent months.

The town, a former coal-mining hub with a pre-war population of around 30,000, had been a strategic target for Russian forces. Its capture could disrupt key Ukrainian supply routes in the region.

“As a result of active offensive operations… the city of Dzerzhinsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic was liberated,” Russia’s defense ministry stated, using the Soviet name for the town.

By July 2023, the population of Toretsk had dwindled by 90% due to ongoing combat, with only a handful of residents remaining despite daily shelling and a lack of essential utilities, according to local officials.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry, ahead of Russia’s announcement, shared an image of the town in ruins on social media, saying: “This was once someone’s home. A place where people lived, laughed, and built their future. Now, it’s just ruins.” However, Kyiv did not confirm whether the town had fallen under Russian control.