On July 31, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Russian forces had taken control of Chasov Yar - an important Ukrainian stronghold in the Donetsk region, under Donbass - after months of fierce fighting.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the town was controlled thanks to the offensive activities of the Southern forces.
A source familiar with the matter said that the Russian landfall in Chasov Yar has caused the largest loss of personnel to the Ukrainian army since the conflict broke out in 2022. "It was a real killing of thousands of enemy soldiers," the source said.
Meanwhile, advisor to the head of the Donetsk People's Republic - Mr. Igor Kimakovsky - said that the collapse of Chasov Yar would lead to the collapse of Ukraine's defense system in the areas of Konstantinovka, Druzhkovka and Slaviansk.
Chasov Yar has long been one of Ukraine's most defensive positions in Donbass, located on high ground and cut off by the Seversky Donets-Donbass Canal.
The control of the city gives artillery advantages over supply routes to key cities in the region, Kramatorsk and Slaviansk. This is also an important logistics hub for Ukrainian forces in the region.
The Kiev government has not yet confirmed the city loss, although a Ukrainian media channel reported that Chasov Yar is under almost complete control of Russia.
Fighting around Chasov Yar began in early April 2024, shortly after the Russian military took control of Artyomovsk (known as Bakhmut in Ukraine), about 10km east.
