Putin's troops have targeted Chasiv Yar. The location of the city is strategically important.
Ukrainian soldiers and officials have warned in the past that the loss of the Ukrainian mountain town could be catastrophic for Ukraine. If Ukraine were unable to hold the city, Frontelligence writes, the Russian army would have a direct route to important cities in Donbas. The city of Kramatorsk is one of the last major cities under Ukrainian control in Donbass. The battle for Chassiv Yar was called a “litmus test” – a decisive test. The loss of ChasIV YAR would clear the way for Russia to take control of other cities in the region, the report says. The Russian intelligence service had previously reported that Russian soldiers had already entered the outskirts of the former industrial city. “All enemy attempts to enter the city have failed,” Olexandr Syrskyj, the commander in chief in the city said on Telegram. Ukrainian troops are said to have set a trap with a tank barrier.