(Kyiv) The Ukrainian army confirmed on Thursday its withdrawal from the strategic eastern city of Chasiv Iyer district, the capture of which was claimed by Moscow earlier in the day.
“The command has decided to withdraw to safe and well-prepared positions,” Nasser Volochin, a spokesman for the Cortecia force group stationed in the area, said on television.
Russia said on Wednesday it had captured the first district of the strategic city of Chasiv Yar, which it has been trying to capture for months in hopes of a decisive breakthrough in eastern Ukraine.
Its elevated position would actually allow Russian troops to reach this part of the front with their artillery, especially Kramatorsk, the largest mining town in the Donetsk region, and the Ukrainian garrison.
“It was no longer appropriate to conduct the enemy-entered Kanal District, as it was a threat to the lives and health of the soldiers. The positions of our defenders have been destroyed,” explained Nasser Volochin.
In the last 24 hours, 238 blasts were reported in Chasiv Yar area alone. Most of the artillery fire was aimed at the southern part of the city.
Nazar Volochyn, spokesman for the Khortytsia brigade stationed in the area
The Russian military continues to attack other parts of the city across the canal, hoping to capture them all, the spokesman added.
Deepstate, a Telegram channel that relies on open sources close to the Ukrainian military, said on Wednesday that the district had been “completely destroyed” and that holding it would lead to “increased losses”.
Photo by Alexander Ermochenko, Reuters
A resident stands next to the rubble of his home destroyed by a recent bombing in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on July 4, 2024.
“Getting out of this district was a logical, albeit difficult, decision,” he concluded.
The Russian military has been taking the initiative in recent months and has been steadily advancing.
More than two years after the invasion began, and ten years after sparking a separatist conflict, it seeks to penetrate Ukrainian defense lines in the east and seize control of the out-of-control region of Donbass.
Russian attack on gas site kills one
One person was killed and three others injured in a Russian attack on a gas plant in eastern Ukraine’s Poltava region, the Energy Ministry announced on Thursday.
“On July 3, Russia attacked the Poltava region. Among the damaged infrastructure was the UkrGasVydobuvannya facility of the country’s main gas producer,” the ministry said in a telegram.
An electrician was killed and three workers were injured, he said, adding, “Operations are underway […] Suffer the consequences of this attack.
Ukraine, which has faced a Russian invasion for more than two years, has seen much of its energy infrastructure destroyed by Russian bombings in recent months, knocking out power to almost its entire territory.
His army is retaliating by attacking Russian territory, including energy installations and fuel depots used for military operations on Ukrainian soil.
For months, President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on his allies to urgently provide his country with new air defense systems to help it deal with Russian attacks.
According to him, Russia has destroyed half of its country’s energy production capacity. Its restoration requires significant investments.
