Chasiv Yar, a largely destroyed town, has been seen as Russia’s next target after the fall of Bakhmut, while Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, is also a major Russian target.
Editor's note: We asked members of the Kyiv Independent community to share the questions they have about the war. Here's what they asked and how we answered. Join our community to ask a question in the next round. Read our previous answers here, here, here, here, and here What do
Heavy fighting with Russian troops is ongoing along the entire front line, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 10 after listening to Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi's report.
Vadym Filashkin said it was becoming increasingly difficult for rescue and humanitarian workers to reach those that remain due to Russian shelling, with attempts only being made at night or early in the morning.
Drone footage shows what used to be home to 12,000 people has been reduced to a mass of rubble and burned out buildings as Russia continues its attempt to take the town.
Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson of the Khortytsia group of forces, also said Russian forces are unlikely to capture the embattled town of Chasiv Yar as they do not have enough strength for a full-scale offensive.
Key updates on May 3: * Ukraine may use British weapons to strike targets inside Russia, Cameron says * Military intelligence general: Chasiv Yar's fall probably a matter of time * Military intelligence carries out cyberattack in Russia's Tatarstan * Commander: Russia aims to completely occupy 3 oblasts in 2024 * Media: Italy to give
Russian attacks against the towns of Kurakhove and Chasiv Yar and the village of Netailove in Donetsk Oblast on May 3 killed three people and injured five, the regional prosecutor's office said.
"Not today or tomorrow, of course, but all depending on our reserves and supplies," a military intelligence deputy head, Major General Vadym Skibitsky, said in an interview with The Economist published on May 2.
Editor’s note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names and callsigns only. CHASIV YAR, DONETSK OBLAST – As he creeps between rubble-strewn garages near the central square of Chasiv Yar, the eyes and ears of the reconnaissance
Russian troops have continued to storm the town of Chasiv Yar and nearby settlements in Donetsk Oblast amid a "great battle" for control of logistics routes, Nazar Voloshyn, the Khortytsia Group of Forces' spokesperson, told Interfax Ukraine on May 2.
As Ukraine’s defenders and allies display a constellation of weaknesses, Russian forces are taking advantage and pushing forward in Donetsk Oblast. The Russians have begun their assault of Chasiv Yar, while a complementary, flanking assault is slowly pushing up from occupied Avdiivka, in an attempt to cut the supply
As the U.S. took months to approve the next package of much-needed military aid to Kyiv, Russia used the moment to step up its offensive operations in Ukraine. After capturing Avdiivka and multiple villages in the east, Moscow now has its eyes on the next primary target, the town
Russian troops are trying to encircle the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, Nazar Voloshyn, the Khortytsia Group of Forces' spokesperson, said on national television on April 26.
While it is possible that Russian forces may make some gains northwest of Avdiivka, an offensive in the area is "unlikely to develop into an operationally significant penetration, let alone cause the collapse of the Ukrainian defense west of Avdiivka," the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said.
After almost seven months of delays, the U.S. Congress finally approved $61 billion in aid for Kyiv, mostly in the form of military assistance. The legislation was promptly signed by U.S. President Joe Biden, and shortly after, the Pentagon announced the first defense package of $1 billion, containing
Russian forces are deploying chemical weapons in an attempt to capture the village of Ocheretyne in Donetsk Oblast, Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson for Ukraine's Khortytsia Group of Forces, said on April 23.
Key developments on April 22: * Military: Over 20,000 Russian troops trying to storm Chasiv Yar, outskirts * Budanov: Ukraine faces 'difficult situation' starting mid-May * Russia claims to have captured Novomykhailivka, Ukraine denies * Russia destroys Kharkiv TV tower * Poland cannot transfer Patriots to Ukraine but will provide other help, Tusk says
Around 20,000 to 25,000 Russian soldiers are trying to storm Chasiv Yar and the settlements in the city's outskirts, the Khortytsia Group of Forces' spokesperson, Nazar Voloshyn, said on national TV on April 22.
In an interview with Suspline media on April 21, a Ukrainian National Guard officer said Russian troops were “advancing very successfully in the direction of Chasiv Yar.”
Russia will attempt to capture the town of Chasiv Yar, just west of the Russian-occupied Bakhmut, by May 9, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with NBC News published April 21.
After months of political wrangling in Congress, frustration in Kyiv and a deteriorating situation on the battlefield, the U.S. House on April 20 passed the critically-needed $61 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine. But while Kyiv breathed a sigh of relief at the news, the next few weeks remain
"If the Russian occupiers manage to capture this city, they will have the opportunity to launch an offensive on Kostiantynivka, Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk," military spokesperson Nazar Voloshyn told Politico.
Since March, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said more than once that Ukraine is expecting a major Russian offensive that could start in May or June. Ukrainian experts and military officials now say it might begin even sooner. All eyes are currently on the Bakhmut axis as Russian troops gradually inch
Key developments on April 13-14: * Syrskyi: Russia set a goal to capture Chasiv Yar by 'Victory Day' on May 9 * Syrskyi: 'Situation on eastern front has significantly deteriorated in recent days' * Germany to send additional Patriot air defense system, missiles to Ukraine * Russia claims 10 Ukrainian drones downed in Krasnodar
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi's statement comes after his warning that the situation on Ukraine's eastern front "significantly deteriorated in recent days" as Russia has intensified its offensives in the east since last month's presidential election.
The ministry refuted earlier reports about the alleged occupation of Bohdanivka in Donetsk Oblast, saying the village remains under the control of Ukraine's forces.
Russian attacks against Chasiv Yar and Selydove in Donetsk Oblast killed one person and wounded five more, including a teenage girl, regional authorities reported on April 8.
Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR), said that Ukraine should expect to face a renewed Russian offensive in late spring or early summer, with the offensive intensifying around Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, Budanov told German outlet ARD in an interview published on April 7.
Fierce battles are taking place east of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast as Russian forces are attempting to break through Ukrainian defenses, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said on April 6.
Key developments on April 5: * Ukraine strikes airfields in Russia, destroying or damaging 19 warplanes, sources say * Russian attacks on Zaporizhzhia kill 4, injure over 20 * Ukraine's military denies Russian troops reached Chasiv Yar's suburb * Lithuania to purchase 3,000 drones for Ukraine * Military: Russian use of prohibited chemical weapons
Russian troops have not entered the suburbs of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, a spokesperson for Ukraine's eastern command, Andrii Zadubinnyi, told Reuters on April 5.
Chasiv Yar is a town in Donetsk Oblast, currently at the center of Russia’s military push further west into Ukraine. With a population of around 12,000 before the start of the full-scale invasion, its name means ‘quiet ravine’.
Chasiv Yar is situated around 10 kilometers (six miles) west of Bakhmut, captured by Russia in May 2023. Russia ramped up its offensive on Chasiv Yar in February 2024 after capturing Avdiivka, which lies about 50 kilometers (31 miles) to the south.
The Ukrainian military said on April 22 that Russia is deploying as many as 25,000 troops to take the town, which it sees as a crucial step for further advances toward Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk. These cities are considered the last strongholds of Ukrainian control over Donetsk Oblast.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia will attempt to capture Chasiv Yar by May 9, which Russia celebrates as “Victory Day,” a militaristic public holiday marking the end of the Second World War in Europe.
