Kyiv disputes the defeat, while Russia claims to have captured the Ukrainian stronghold of Chasiv Yar. One town at a time, every fight tells its own story. Battles that have the power to change the direction of more significant conflicts are fought in locations that many people have never heard of. Chasiv Yar, a tiny village in eastern Ukraine that has been embroiled in a bloody conflict for more than a year, is one such location. Russia now claims to have fully taken control of this damaged town, a claim that has raised new concerns on the front lines of Ukraine and raised new queries for the international community.
Russia says it has taken control of a significant town in eastern Ukraine
Russia said on Thursday it had captured the town of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine after nearly 16 months of fighting, opening the way for potential further advances. Russia’s Defence Ministry said in a brief statement its forces had “liberated” the town. A Ukrainian military spokesperson called the claim “propaganda,” but a video posted by a Russian military unit and verified by Reuters showed a Russian paratroop banner.
Including the national flag being raised by soldiers in the desolate ruins of the town. Russia has been slowly grinding forward in eastern Ukraine as talks to end the 3 1/2-year war have failed to make progress towards a ceasefire, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to threaten new sanctions on Russia and buyers of its exports from next week.
The collapse of Chasiv Yar may pave the way for a gradual Russian push
Moscow’s forces are also mounting intense pressure on the city of Pokrovsk, 60 km (37 miles) southwest of Chasiv Yar. Military analyst Emil Kastehelmi, co-founder of the Finland-based Black Bird Group, said it was likely that battles were continuing near Chasiv Yar. He told Reuters,
“The terrain of Chasiv Yar has favoured the defender. Forested areas, waterways, hills and a varied building stock have enabled Ukraine to conduct a defensive operation lasting over a year, in which the Russians have made minimal monthly progress.”
Kastehelmi said it was likely that the town’s fall, if confirmed, would create conditions for Russia to advance further in eastern Ukraine, but still only gradually. The battle for Chasiv Yar began in April last year, when Russian paratroopers reached its eastern edge. Russian state media reported then that Russian soldiers had begun phoning their Ukrainian counterparts inside the town to demand they surrender or be wiped out.
A tough struggle that persisted for over a year
Few people anticipated that Chasiv Yar would become such a focal point when Russian forces first moved towards it more than 16 months ago. Chasiv Yar, which is west of Bakhmut, a city that is now almost inextricably linked to bloody conflict, served as a barrier preventing Russia from advancing farther into Ukrainian territory. In the midst of it all, a major quake hits Russia’s Far East, and tsunami alerts are issued.
“This is not the end, Our men are regrouping, and the lines will hold.”
The town, now destroyed, had a pre-war population of more than 12,000, and its economy was based around a factory that produced reinforced concrete products and clay used in bricks. It lies just west of Bakhmut, which Russia captured in 2023 after one of the bloodiest battles of the war. Besides Russia taking over Chasiv Yar, there seems to be something happening, always. As the war is happening, Russia fires a TASS executive after an Azerbaijan visit. Right now, Ukraine looks to the west, to its next defence lines, to its international allies, and to the hope that these wounds will eventually heal.