Frontline report: Russian offensive in Toretsk stalls as Ukraine regains initiative
Amidst intense floor-by-floor fighting in Toretsk's high-rises, a Russian soldier fell to his death from the sixth floor while attempting to escape via balconies.
Today there are a lot of updates from the Toretsk direction, Donetsk Oblast.
Here, Russian forces attempted to advance from two assault vectors: the northern flank of the city and the city center.
In response, Ukrainian forces launched counterattacks that successfully drove the Russians out of northern Druzhba and are now pushing them out of the center of Toretsk.
On the northern flank of Toretsk, Russian forces are attempting to seize control of the outskirt town of Druzhba. Control of Druzhba is crucial, as it would provide Russian troops with a staging ground for northern advances to semi-encircle Toretsk. Aware of this, the Ukrainian command is launching counterattacks to challenge the Russian presence and disrupt their plans.
Recently, Ukrainian fighters managed to weaken Russian positions in northern Druzhba with powerful mortar and FPV drone strikes before deploying into the town. The heavy damage to houses in this area forced Russian fighters to flee, exposing them to the advancing Ukrainians.
After intense mortar and drone fire on other Russian positions, a small squad of three Russian fighters was cornered in a basement. Meanwhile, the remaining Russian troops in the open were eliminated by Ukrainian drone operators. The Ukrainian forces successfully forced the squad in the basement to surrender, taking them as prisoners of war.
Ukrainian control of northern Druzhba will prevent the Russian forces from launching flank attacks on Toretsk. Meanwhile, the captured Russian fighters can reveal vital information about the Russian plans, further ruining the plans of the Russian command.
In the center of Toretsk, Russian forces entered the high-rise building complex, sparking fierce fighting over the area. Their goal is to capture the high rises and establish fire control over the surroundings.
Achieving this would enable Russian troops to advance along Third May Lane, potentially splitting the Ukrainian defenses in half. This move is intended to coordinate with their planned flanking attacks from the north.
After Russian forces entered the southern part of the high-rise area, intense fighting broke out with Ukrainian fighters. Once the Russians established positions in one of the buildings, the Ukrainians deployed a remotely operated ground drone packed with explosives to breach a wall, strike Russian positions, and enable their stormtroopers to launch a counterattack.
Footage from the Ukrainian Lyut Brigade shows ongoing small-arms fire engagements at close range. The fighting escalated as Ukrainians and Russians battled for control of every floor. One Russian soldier attempted to escape by climbing down the balconies but tragically fell to his death from the sixth floor, a height of 20 meters.
The dynamic nature of the fighting in this part of the city prevents the Russians from fully controlling the high-rise area, leaving it contested. Additionally, the Russian failure to establish fire control around the high-rises allowed Ukrainian forces to conduct reconnaissance missions along Central Street, deep behind Russian lines.
This forced the Russians to shift focus, attempting to stabilize the situation by expanding control around Central Street and advancing towards Darvina and Pusharenko streets. Their advance was aided by the fact that Ukrainian positions in this area consisted of small residential houses, which Russian stormtroopers initially captured but were quickly halted by Ukrainian fighters.
Overall, The Russian plan to quickly advance through Toretsk and split the city into two pockets was canceled due to unexpectedly strong Ukrainian resistance in the tactically important high-rise area and the counterattack at Druzhba.
As the Russian forces struggled to secure the high-rise buildings, the command had to redirect troops to protect the flanks along Central Street, preventing a potential frontline collapse. Ukrainian counterattacks finally brought the Russian offensive to a halt, after months of gradual slowing. The front has stabilized, shifting the initiative in favor of the Ukrainians.
In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.
