The Russian Defense Ministry announced today that "units of the Southern Group of Forces conducted offensive operations on the Kramatorsk-Druzhkovka front and liberated the city of Chasov Yar in Donetsk province".

Chasov Yar's elevated position makes it a strategic forward logistics hub and artillery base for Ukraine. The Ukrainian military may have deployed at least 5 brigades to defend the city.

News outlets linked to the Russian military reported that the 98th Guards Airborne Division spearheaded the Chasov Yar offensive. They released a video showing members of the unit raising the Russian flag and their branch's flag at various locations within the city.

The Ukrainian military has not commented on the report. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces previously reported that Russian forces had attacked several locations near the city.

After capturing Bakhmut in 2023, Russia began advancing toward Chasov Yar and other key areas in Donetsk. The offensive on the city appears to have been launched around 4/2024.

Heavy losses from previous frontal assaults on fortified Ukrainian positions led the Russian military to change its tactics. They adopted a "cauldron" strategy, involving flanking maneuvers, encirclement, cutting off supply lines, and besieging enemy strongholds. Artillery fire, drones, and glide bombs are used extensively to wear down enemy defenses and manpower, "softening" the battlefield for infantry advances.

Cities in Donetsk province. Graphics: RYV

Controlling Chasov Yar would allow the Russian military to bring nearby strategic cities within artillery range and use it as a springboard for deeper offensives.

Key Ukrainian strongholds near Chasov Yar include Kramatorsk, Slavyansk, Druzhkovka, and Konstantinovka. Kramatorsk is the last major city Kyiv controls in Donetsk province, while Konstantinovka is considered the "backbone of the Ukrainian defense line".

Nguyen Tien (According to RIA Novosti, TASS, AP)