On Thursday, Russia announced that its forces had taken full control of Siversk, a city in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region where fighting has escalated recently. However, Ukraine contested this claim, stating that the important settlement has not been lost.
The Russian military has been gradually making advances in eastern Ukraine, gaining territory from Ukrainian forces that are outnumbered and outgunned, with some of the most intense clashes occurring in Donetsk.
In a televised briefing with military leaders, General Valery Gerasimov, Russia’s chief of the General Staff, reported to President Vladimir Putin that Siversk had been captured by Russian troops. Putin expressed gratitude to the commanders and soldiers for their operational efforts, noting that the army is “confidently advancing along the entire front.”
Last month, Putin indicated that Russian forces were making their way toward Siversk, which had a population of around 11,000 before the conflict, claiming the assault was “almost impossible to halt.”
In response, the Ukrainian eastern command refuted the Russian assertions, stating that Siversk “remains under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.” They added in a Facebook update that while the enemy is attempting to penetrate Siversk in small groups, largely due to adverse weather conditions, most of these units are being eliminated before they can reach the city.
Siversk is situated roughly 30 kilometers (18 miles) east of the last two major cities still under Ukrainian control in the Donbas region, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, which are strategic targets for Moscow.
Earlier this month, Russia claimed to have taken Pokrovsk, another key transportation hub in Donetsk, though Kyiv contends that combat in the area is still ongoing.
Putin has stated that Moscow is prepared to continue fighting to secure further territory in eastern Ukraine unless Kyiv concedes it as part of a peace agreement.
Since Russia launched its offensive in February 2022, eastern Ukraine has faced devastating consequences, with tens of thousands of fatalities and millions of people displaced from their homes.
