Ukrainian Troops Reportedly Retreat from Positions in Donetsk: According to Russian Military Sources
Ukrainian troops pulled back from the Donetsk town of Vuhledar last week to avoid being surrounded by rapidly advancing Russian forces.
Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported on Oct. 7 that Ukrainian forces had “abandoned” important positions near Selydove in eastern Donetsk, citing official Russian sources.
An unnamed Russian military source stated, “In Tsukuryne, the enemy has abandoned positions that have been crucial for both this community and Selydove.”
Tsukuryne is a small settlement located approximately five miles south of Selydove.
The Epoch Times could not independently verify this claim, which came after Moscow announced the capture of Vuhledar, about 25 miles south of Selydove, a few days earlier.
Ukraine’s military confirmed the withdrawal of its troops from Vuhledar (Ugledar in Russian) last week in order to protect personnel and military equipment.
The loss of Vuhledar, a strategically significant coal-mining town, was the latest in a series of advances by Russian forces along Donetsk’s 100-mile front line.
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Russian forces seized the town of Ukrainsk in mid-September, south of Tsukuryne and Selydove.
Controlling the eastern Donbas region, consisting of Donetsk and Luhansk, has been a key goal for Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Estimates suggest that Russian forces hold 60 percent of Donetsk and 98.5 percent of Luhansk.
They are now on the verge of taking Pokrovsk, a crucial Ukrainian transit point about 50 miles north of Vuhledar.
Selydove and Tsukuryne are centrally located between Vuhledar and Pokrovsk.
Ukrainian officials reported significant damage to Pokrovsk’s energy infrastructure due to Russian attacks.
About 13,000 residents remain in Pokrovsk, down from a pre-war population of 60,000.
Despite Moscow’s claims of targeting military infrastructure, Ukrainian authorities accuse Russian forces of disrupting civilian services.
A Ukrainian serviceman runs to help farmers extinguish a burning field near Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Sept. 16, 2024.Oleksii Filippov/AFP via Getty Images
Airbase Attacked: Kyiv
On Oct. 7, officials in Kyiv reported that a Russian hypersonic missile struck near the Starokostiantyniv airbase in Ukraine’s Khmelnytskyi region.
The Ukrainian Air Force did not confirm damage to the airbase, known for keeping military information private to shield against Russian attacks.
Khmelnytskyi’s regional governor, Serhiy Tyurin, stated that the missile did not harm critical infrastructure or civilians.
A day earlier, the Netherlands announced plans to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and invest in combat drone production.
Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans revealed that a prior batch of F-16s was already in use over Ukraine, with more to follow soon.
Kyiv recently downed two Russian Kinzhal ballistic missiles over the capital, with no casualties or major damage reported.
Moscow has not confirmed these attacks, and The Epoch Times could not independently verify them.
Reuters contributed to this report.
