Russian Military Claims Capture of Key Eastern Ukrainian Town
Russia’s military has announced the capture of Niu-York, a small but strategically significant town in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, as part of its ongoing offensive towards larger population centers in the area.
While Ukraine’s military has not confirmed the fall of Niu-York, they acknowledged heavy fighting in the vicinity, stating that Russian forces were aggressively attacking the town and nearby areas. The Ukrainian army has vowed to continue resisting the offensive, with a spokesperson stating, “We are delivering a robust counterattack… the battle rages on.”
Although Niu-York is a relatively small settlement, its capture would mark another advance toward the critical Donetsk hubs of Toretsk and Pokrovsk. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces have intensified their operations in Russia’s Kursk region, possibly aiming to divert Russian troops away from the eastern front. However, no significant redeployment of Russian forces has been observed, despite Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi claiming control over 93 villages and towns previously held by Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the situation in the east as “challenging,” but praised the Ukrainian troops for their relentless efforts to weaken Russian forces. The Ukrainian military leadership also reported that Russia was reinforcing its troops along the eastern front line, underscoring the gravity of the ongoing conflict.
The Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement celebrating the successful operation, highlighting the strategic importance of Niu-York. They referred to the town by its Russian name, Novgorodskoye, and emphasized its significance as one of the largest settlements within the Toretsk agglomeration and a crucial logistics hub. Russian military bloggers further fueled the narrative by sharing videos showing the Russian tricolor flag being raised on a school roof in Niu-York, with the Ukrainian flag lying discarded on the ground. However, Ukrainian sources later revealed that this video had been recorded weeks earlier, and the Ukrainian forces had since destroyed the flag with a drone strike on August 8.
Niu-York lies just south of the mining town of Toretsk, where Russian forces recently claimed the capture of Zalizne, another nearby settlement. Ukrainian forces, however, insist that the fight is far from over in Zalizne, and local sources have reported that they still hold around 20% of Niu-York, despite being outnumbered by Russian troops.
In response to the escalating threat, Ukrainian authorities have ordered the evacuation of Pokrovsk as Russian forces continue their advance. A military briefing on Tuesday revealed that over a third of Russia’s 87 attacks that day were focused on the push toward Pokrovsk. Local officials have warned that Russian troops are now within 10 kilometers (6 miles) of the town’s outskirts.
Pokrovsk’s regional head, Vadym Filashkin, has expressed concern for the town’s remaining population of 53,000, which includes nearly 4,000 children, as the situation continues to deteriorate.
