The Russians claim that they have captured Chasiv Yar, which has led to a reversal that no one expected.

Russia: We captured Chasiv Yar

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced today that Moscow's forces captured the city of Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, after 18 months of fighting.

The military command of Ukraine confirmed that Russian forces attacked locations near Khasiv Yar, located a few kilometers west of Bakhmut. They announced that the Ukrainian units were"holding the defense", but did not provide additional details and denied allegations of the capture of the city.

- The situation in Chasiv Jar remained the same as in recent months. Russia is simply lying again, in order for this claim to circulate and cause denials - said Viktor Tregubov, spokesman for the Ukrainian group of forces"Horticia".

Chasiv Yar, known as the"Gate of Donbass", had 12,000 inhabitants before the war, but is now in ruins after two years of air and artillery attacks.

Putin at the"gates of Donbas"

Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and one of the key goals is to occupy the entire Donbass, that is, the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

In achieving that goal, Časiv Jar is one of the key points.

Larger rocket attacks on this city began in July 2022, when the railway station was destroyed, and almost 50 people were killed in the residential area.

When Soledar and Klishchievka fell under Russian control in January 2023, Chasiv Yar became the center of Ukrainian defense on the Donetsk front for one simple reason: this was the only point for supplying Ukrainian troops with ammunition, weapons and food.

The situation worsened further after the fall of Bahmut. In Chasiv Yar, Ukrainian troops planned attacks and devised actions, but rotations in the defense of Bakhmut before the fall were also carried out from there.

In addition to the ground offensive, Chasiv Yar was exposed to heavy rocket attacks for a long time, due to which the number of inhabitants was drastically reduced, and most of the city was destroyed in artillery attacks.

Why is Chasiv Yar important?

The big offensive on Chasiv Yar started in December last year, and there are two reasons why this small town in the Donetsk region is so important for Russian and Ukrainian troops:

1. Position : Chasiv Jar is located on a hill and is a favorable location for observation and artillery attacks on other cities. From Chasiv Yar, attacks can be made on the main roads to Kramatorsk and other towns. If it is really in Russian hands, the Ukrainians are left without that advantage, while now Russia can make it a point for supply and regrouping

If the information about the capture of Chasiv Yar is officially confirmed, it means that Russia has strengthened its position in the Donetsk region, which represents additional progress towards the goal of complete conquest of the region.

According to the latest estimates, Russia currently controls about 80 percent of the territory of the Donbass, and more than 70 percent of the territory of the Donetsk region.

Russia opened the way to 3 cities in Donetsk

The capture of Chasiv Yar is significant in this context because it opens the way to southwestern cities such as:

The distance between Kostjantinivka and Časiv Yar is about 10 to 12 kilometers to the west. Kostiantynivka is an industrial city and an important logistics center, and it is on the way to Kramatorsk, which may be Russia's next big target.

So if Kostiantynivka falls, Russia can easily threaten Kramatorsk from the south.

Kramatorsk is located about 25 kilometers northwest of Chasiv Yar and this is the main administrative center of the Donetsk region under Ukrainian control, more precisely the headquarters of the Ukrainian army in Donbass.

It is very possible that this will be the main goal of the new Russian offensive, and if Kramatorsk falls, Ukraine loses its biggest stronghold in Donbass and opens the way to Slovyansk (Slavyansk).

Slovyansk is 35 kilometers north of Khasiv Yar and has a great symbolic significance because one of the first clashes with pro-Russian separatists broke out in that city in 2014.