Russia claims that it has taken control of Kurakhove in the Donetsk region. The city, which once had a population of 18,000, has been reduced to ruins in recent months as Russian troops advance in the area.
The Ukrainian monitoring group DeepState, which tracks the front line using open sources, confirms that most of Kurakhove is under Russian control. The American analytical center Institute for the Study of War reported on Monday that Russian forces conducted offensive operations in the vicinity of Kurakhove, as well as to the northwest, west, and southwest of the city.
Thus, Kurakhove becomes the first major settlement to fall into Russian hands following the capture of Avdiivka and Vuhledar in 2024.
Offensive on Pokrovsk
Russia has been focusing on Kurakhove for several months. The city is located near key transport routes and settlements, just 20 kilometers from the occupied Vuhledar and 30 kilometers from Pokrovsk, the main target for the Kremlin in eastern Ukraine.
Related- The Battle for Pokrovsk: Russian Army Advances from Two Sides
- Russian troops are approaching Pokrovsk from the south and east
Control over Pokrovsk, an important logistics center for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, would enable Moscow to achieve a goal dating back to 2014 - to capture the entire Donetsk region.
Despite calls from Ukrainian authorities for evacuation, as of mid-December, around 300,000 civilians remained in the Donetsk region, of which 54,000, according to the Donetsk military administration, lived in areas of active combat.