Russia claims capture of Chasiv Yar after sixteen-month battle

(Patrua) - Russia said on Thursday it had captured the eastern Ukrainian town of Chasiv Yar after nearly sixteen months of fighting, opening the way for potential further advances, Reuters reported.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said in a brief statement that its forces had “liberated” the town. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed the claim as “disinformation”. A Ukrainian military spokesperson called it “propaganda”.

But video released by a Russian military unit, and verified by Reuters, showed Russian paratroopers unfurling a banner and planting their national flag in the devastated ruins of the town.

Russia has been making slow advances in eastern Ukraine as peace talks to end the three-year war have failed to make progress towards a ceasefire, prompting US President Donald Trump to threaten new sanctions on Russia and buyers of its exports from next week.

Russian forces are also exerting intense pressure on the town of Pokrovsk, 60 km (37 miles) southwest of Chasiv Yar.

Military analyst Emil Kastehelmi, co-founder of the Finnish open-source intelligence group Black Bird, said fighting was likely continuing near Chasiv Yar.

“Chasiv Yar’s terrain favoured the defenders. Forested areas, waterways, hills and a diverse building stock allowed Ukraine to conduct a defensive operation that lasted more than a year, in which the Russians made minimal monthly progress,” he told Reuters.

Kastehelmi said the town’s fall, if confirmed, would likely create conditions for further Russian advances in eastern Ukraine, but still only gradually.

“The town’s fall into enemy hands is nevertheless a challenging situation for Ukraine, as it will bring the Russians closer to Kostyantynivka, which Russia is now approaching from several directions,” he said. “Logistics in the area will also be affected, as the Russians can bring drone teams even closer.”

Zelenskiy, in his nightly video address, said Ukrainian units around Chasiv Yar were “defending our positions. Every Russian attempt to advance in the Donetsk region, in Sumy, in Kharkiv is ultimately thwarted.”

Citing a report from Ukraine’s top commander Oleksandr Syrskyi, Zelenskiy said the most intense fighting was still occurring near Pokrovsk. Ukrainian forces, he said, were repelling Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups.
The popular Ukrainian blog DeepState, which uses open-source material to track the movement of Russian forces, also denied that Russian forces controlled Chasiv Yar.

The battle for Chasiv Yar began in April last year when Russian paratroopers reached its eastern outskirts. Russian state media reported at the time that Russian soldiers were phoning Ukrainian soldiers inside the town demanding they surrender or be destroyed by aerial guided bombs.

Chasiv Yar, now devastated, had more than 12,000 residents before the war and its economy was based on a reinforced concrete products factory and clay used in bricks.It lies west of Bakhmut, which Russia captured in 2023 after one of the war’s bloodiest battles.