On the Eastern Front, in the area of Kostyantynivka and Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Russian troops are trying to seize a key road connecting these settlements and leading to Kramatorsk in order to complicate the logistics of Ukrainian forces. Russian paratroopers are operating against Ukrainian units, whose units are constantly replenished. At this time, the Ukrainian authorities are actively evacuating local residents to protect them from shelling.
Chasiv Yar, located 15 km from Russian-occupied Bakhmut, was a city of sand quarries, clay landscapes and blue lakes before the full-scale invasion. It was home to about 13,000 people and a mobile hospital for Ukrainian soldiers.
Today, Chasiv Yar has become a key settlement that holds back the Russian army's advance on the road to Kostyantynivka. About 600 people remain in the city, most of whom were evacuated in the fall of 2022 or after the capture of Bakhmut in the summer of 2023. The city is regularly shelled, forcing local residents to hide in basements. Despite the difficult conditions, humanitarian aid is still arriving.
“There is water, but it is difficult to get humanitarian food aid. The military helps if necessary,” says Serhiy Chaus, head of the city military administration of Chasovy Yar. “We are trying to create living conditions for people and evacuate everyone who wants to. We recently evacuated a guy who lost his leg, and also conducted a medical evacuation for a sick person.”.
Chaus emphasizes that local authorities are constantly calling for evacuation. “We are reaching out to people in different ways – with postcards, in person, bringing video messages from relatives. We are explaining that evacuation really saves lives,” he notes.
Evacuation is being carried out not only from Chasovy Yar, but also from other towns and villages of Pokrovsky, Kramatorsk, and Bakhmut districts.
Russian forces have likely made a limited breakthrough into the eastern outskirts of Chasovye Yar, according to British Ministry of Defence intelligence. Fierce fighting continues in urban areas as Ukrainian Defence Forces try to halt the enemy advance. Analysts say the Russian army may have taken control of the village of Ivanovske to the southeast of Chasovye Yar, but their advance is currently limited to the eastern side of the canal that runs through the town.
Ukrainian sources confirm the difficult situation in the area of the city. The General Staff calls the situation near Chasovy Yar tense, but does not report on the enemy's successes. "Measures are being taken to prevent the enemy from advancing deep into our territory," the official statement says.
“The situation is complicated, information silence persists,” says military expert Mykhailo Zhyrokhov. He adds that Polish Wolverine APCs and American Stryker APCs have been spotted in the Kharkiv direction, as well as units from the Kherson region that are strengthening defenses.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine are trying to hold their positions on the eastern sectors of the front, inflicting significant losses on the enemy and preparing fortifications to defend Kostyantynivka and Sloviansk.
In the Kramatorsk direction, Russian troops are systematically trying to implement their plan, said military observer and coordinator of the "Information Resistance" group Konstantin Mashovets.
“The enemy managed to break through to the city limits of Chasiv Yar with the help of advanced units of the 98th Airborne Division and capture almost half of the Kanal microdistrict. Fierce close combat is currently underway there in the urban area. Perhaps they will be able to completely occupy the microdistrict and reach the bridge crossing over the canal on Koshevogo Street,” explains Mashovets.
The 98th Airborne Division from Ivanovo, known for its participation in the battles for the village of Moshun near Kyiv in March 2022, has significantly higher training than the “Storm-Z” penalty battalions that participated in the battles for Bakhmut.
Military expert Mykhailo Zhirokhov notes that individual training is necessary in street battles, since artillery has limited use and tanks are not used.
In contrast to the massive attacks on Bakhmut, Russian forces are now trying to bypass Chasiv Yar and press on to the village of Klischiivka. The village is now virtually destroyed, and units of the 102nd Motorized Rifle Regiment, the 72nd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, and the 6th Guards Motorized Rifle Division are operating there. They are attacking south along the Seversky Donets-Donbas Canal and through Klischiivka, pushing back Ukrainian units.
Mashovets warns of possible concentrated enemy attempts in the Kramatorsk direction to push the Ukrainian Armed Forces beyond the canal south of the Kostyantynivka-Bakhmut road. With further intensification of efforts, the enemy may achieve significant operational successes. The capture of Chasovy Yar will allow the Russians to enter the operational space and cut the Kostyantynivka-Kramatorsk road, which will complicate Ukrainian logistics.
Experts also warn that the loss of Chasovy Yar will open the way for the enemy to Kostyantynivka, and from there it will be possible to advance to Kramatorsk or shell Kostyantynivka more intensively.
The situation in the Pokrovsky direction remains tense. According to the General Staff, since June 13, Russian troops have made 32 breakthrough attempts, of which 24 were repelled, and eight battles are still ongoing. Konstantin Mashovets believes that if the enemy introduces additional forces, tactical successes may turn into operational ones.
The enemy's goal is to reach the Pokrovsk-Kostyantynovka road. If this happens, Toretsk will be in a difficult position. This area has remained stable since 2015 due to fortified positions and the special terrain.
Military expert Mykhailo Zhirokhov notes that the future actions of Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky are currently difficult to predict, as reserves are scarce. Mobilized forces will be ready only by August. “If the Russians capture Chasiv Yar and decide to strike in the rear, we will have to retreat to Kostyantynivka and shorten the front line. But these are only theoretical considerations, it is difficult to predict anything,” Zhirokhov says.
Analysts note that the Russian armed forces also do not have as many resources as they claim, since part of their forces are directed towards the Kharkiv direction. The situation with Bakhmut cannot be compared. “The Russians have not yet started the summer operation. What we saw in the Kharkiv region is only the first echelon. They still have a second one. They have a dilemma: to reinforce the Kharkiv direction or to transfer forces to the Donetsk direction to advance there. There is also a third option - to expand the front line at the expense of the Sumy region. We are not considering the Kherson and Zaporizhia directions, they cannot do anything there,” the expert adds.
Overall, Russia continues to implement its plan to advance to the administrative borders of the Donetsk region. Despite some successes, such as the capture of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, this intention, announced at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, has remained unfulfilled for a long time.
