Russian Forces Inching Closer to Slovyansk in Eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Region, Gerasimov Says

Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported on Thursday that Russian forces have advanced to within 4 kilometers of Slovyansk in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region. Gerasimov disclosed that Russian troops have secured three villages northeast and southeast of Slovyansk during the summer, with ongoing street battles in two additional settlements. The military operations are currently progressing along a 160-kilometer front.

According to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, Russian forces intensified efforts to encroach upon Slovyansk from the east and southeast after failing to make significant progress from the northeast. Slovyansk and neighboring Kramatorsk are Ukraine's principal defensive strongholds in the region, following Russia's capture of Kostiantynivka last month. Kostiantynivka constituted the southern edge of the fortified "belt" of cities, while Slovyansk marked the northern anchor.

In response to the offensive, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed two experienced military commanders to oversee defensive operations in the region. Zelensky asserted in June that the Kremlin had ordered Russian forces to completely capture the Donetsk region by December 31. Russian President Vladimir Putin persistently demands that Ukraine surrender full control of the Donetsk region as a prerequisite for any ceasefire agreement, a condition that Kyiv consistently rejects.