Another Key Donbass Town Captured By Russia As Pressure Grows On Zelensky

Russia’s Defense Ministry announced Friday that its forces had captured the coal mining town of Toretsk amid the slow but steady advance of its forces in Donetsk region. Russia calls the same town by the name of Dzerzhinsk, and state media is declaring its ‘liberation’ after Ukraine forces had long held it.

Journalist Guy Elster also wrote on X, “Russia said its forces had seized the key mining town of Toretsk in east Ukraine after months of fighting.”

Ukraine’s military had used Toretsk primarily as a staging ground from which to launch almost daily artillery, missile, and drone strikes on Russian front line positions in Donbass.

The Associated Press on Friday additionally detailed the ground situation as follows:

Alkhimov, the 28th Brigade officer, told AP his unit continued to hold its ground on Friday afternoon. He added: “Intense (Russian) assault operations are ongoing.”

DeepState, an open-source Ukrainian map widely used by the military and analysts, showed late Thursday that Ukrainian troops were on the northwest edge of Toretsk and still had some soldiers inside the town itself.

“The Russia’s claimed fall of Toretsk, if confirmed, would advance its sweep across the Donetsk, which has cost Moscow heavily in troops and armor but has paid dividends for the Kremlin,” AP continues.

“In the offensive, Russian forces crush settlements with the brute force of 3,000-pound (1,300-kilo) glide bombs, artillery, missiles and drones, then send in infantry units to attack the exposed defenders.”

Last year saw the area towns and cities of Avdiivka and Vuhledar fall to the Russian onslaught, with last month Velyka Novosilka as well as Kurakhove falling.

The Russian Defense Ministry has also announced that the two small villages of Druzhba and Krymskoye, which lie to the northeast of Toretsk, have been taken this week.

Aftermath video showing war-ravaged Toretsk:

Toretsk was once a typical European town, brimming with homes, parks, stores, and schools. Until russian turned it into ruins. pic.twitter.com/7tUhoOtiK6

— Kate from Kharkiv (@BohuslavskaKate) February 7, 2025

All of these had long generally formed a strategic belt of Ukrainian defenses in the east, which are fast crumbling, also as the key town of Pokrovsk is increasingly under threat. Military analysts say that once Pokrovsk falls, Russia will quickly be able to complete its hold over all of Donetsk.

Meanwhile, this week has seen a new offensive into Kursk by Ukraine forces, in a desperate effort to maintain some level of leverage before likely negotiations with Moscow commence.