Military: Russian troops trying to advance near Chasiv Yar but haven't entered town
Russian troops are trying to advance near Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, but they have not entered the town, Kyrylo Sazonov, a blogger and a soldier of the 41st Separate Mechanized Brigade deployed in the area, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on May 23.
According to the crowd-sourced DeepState monitoring service, which tracks changes on the front line, Russian forces advanced near Chasiv Yar and in Klishchiivka and Krasnohorivka in the region as of May 23.
Russian soldiers have tactical advances, which means that once they capture a position, they can be knocked out of it "at any minute," Sazonov said.
"These advances of 50 meters forward, 50 meters back mean nothing. We also enter their territory, and they enter ours," the serviceman said.
"It is really important for us that they (Russia) do not enter the town. They have already said several times that they are in Chasiv Yar, that it is surrounded. We are preventing them from entering the town. In the town, their numerical superiority will be much more noticeable than it is now."
Russian forces shifted their focus toward Chasiv Yar, an elevated town that potentially opens the way to further advances into the oblast, after capturing Avdiivka in February.
Before Russia's full-scale invasion, the town was home to around 12,000 people. As Russia stepped up attacks in the area, only around 670 residents stayed in the town, which local authorities describe as "almost destroyed."
Read also: Zelensky: Ukraine repels Russian assault on Chasiv Yar, Russia loses troops near Kharkiv
We’ve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
