Strategic Shift: Toretsk Under Russian Control

Russia's Defence Ministry announces the capture of Toretsk, a key coal-mining city in eastern Ukraine. The capture could aid Russian forces in complicating logistics for the Ukrainian military. However, Ukraine and independent sources have not confirmed this claim, and Toretsk remains a conflict zone with extensive damage.

Russian forces have reportedly seized control of Toretsk, a crucial coal-mining city in eastern Ukraine, according to Russia's Defence Ministry on Friday.

Independent verification of this development remains unavailable, and Ukrainian officials have yet to provide an official response. Russia refers to Toretsk by its historical Soviet name, Dzerzhinsk, while asserting that Ukraine's Donetsk region is now under Russian jurisdiction, a claim firmly dismissed by Kyiv.

Military commentators in Ukraine suggest that taking control of Toretsk, strategically positioned on elevated terrain, might enable Russian troops to further disrupt Ukrainian logistics in the region and push northwest towards Kostiantynivka, a vital transportation hub. The city, once home to approximately 30,000 people, now stands largely deserted, with significant infrastructure damage evident.

(With inputs from agencies.)