Russian forces have seized several settlements in Ukraine’s Donbas region in recent days, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), and a map by Newsweek marks Moscow’s gains along the front line. Newsweek has contacted the Russian and Ukrainian defense ministries by email for comment.
Why it matters
The Biden administration has dropped restrictions on Ukraine using longer ranger ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) inside Russian territory but uncertainty remains over what another Donald Trump presidency will mean for Washington’s continued support for Kyiv’s fight against Russian aggression.
In its update on Sunday, maps and analysis by think tank the Institute for the Study of War marked Russia’s incremental gains in the Donetsk region, that have gathered pace in recent weeks and which Newsweek has presented below.
What to know
The ISW outlined reports that in the Donetsk Oblast, Russia had captured the Chasiv Yar refractory plant on December 11 and the village of Kalynivka the following day.
Geolocated footage from Saturday also showed Russian advances to nearby western Toretsk, where assaults by Moscow’s troops continued over the weekend.
There were also Russian advances in the direction of Pokrovsk, the logistics hub whose capture would give Moscow a boost in its goal to control the whole of the Donetsk region.
The British defense ministry said Sunday that just south of the city, Russia had seized the town of Shevchenko, a development that follows Moscow’s advances last week to the southern edge of Dachenske and east of Ukranka.
East of Pokrovsk, Russian forces advanced northeast of Vuhledar, which it captured last month, and geolocated footage from Saturday shows Moscow’s advances northwest of Uspenivka.
In the neighboring Luhansk region, Vladimir Putin‘s forces advanced into northern Lozova on Saturday, with Russian sources claiming that they had also seized Dvorichina, while on Sunday, they advanced north of Vesele.
A Ukrainian police officer looks for drones in the sky during an evacuation of civilians from the city of Pokrovsk, in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, on December 14, 2024. Russian forces have made gains in…
A Ukrainian police officer looks for drones in the sky during an evacuation of civilians from the city of Pokrovsk, in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, on December 14, 2024. Russian forces have made gains in the Donetsk region including toward Pokrovsk.
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What they are saying
“Russian forces are currently approximately 3 kilometres [2 miles] from the southern outskirts of Pokrovsk, having reportedly taken the village of Shevchenko,” British military of defense said in a statement on Sunday.
“Battles are extremely tough. The Russian occupiers are throwing forward all available resources, trying to break through,” Ukrainian General Oleksandr Syrskyi wrote on the Telegram messenger app.
“As a result of decisive actions by units of the Southern Group of Forces, the settlement of Vesely Gai in the Donetsk People’s Republic was liberated,” the Russian defense ministry said on Telegram on Sunday.
What happens next
While Russian forces are taking huge losses in personnel, the situation along the Donetsk front is now looking difficult for Ukraine, with Russia looking like it will capture several other key towns.
Ukrainian military officer Serhii Filimonov, commander of the “Da Vinci Wolves” battalion of the 59th Motorised Brigade, described Pokrovsk’s defense last week as a “disaster” and blamed high command for setting “unrealistic tasks” for units.
Ukrainian forces may also have to withdraw from Kurakhove, another key town that is on the road to the Zaporizhzhia region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be hoping for a change in fortunes in 2025 when Donald Trump takes office, although given the president-elect’s criticism of military aid for Kyiv and repeated claims he could end the war within a day, there is concern over whether Ukraine may be pressured to cede territory to achieve that goal.