Ukrainian troops have been ordered to withdraw from the city of Vuhledar, in the eastern part of the country, to avoid being surrounded by the Russian army, the eastern military command announced today.

“Senior command authorized maneuvers to withdraw units from Buhlendar to preserve personnel and military equipment and take positions for further action,” the statement said.

According to the SHOT Telegram channel and pro-Russian bloggers who follow developments on the war front, Russian troops are in full control of the city, located in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.

The Russian Defense Ministry did not mention Buhlendar in its daily battlefield report. However, Russian Telegram channels posted videos showing troops holding and raising Russian flags on damaged buildings.

The Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper reported that the last Ukrainian forces from the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, a unit known for its resistance, left the city late yesterday.

The Ukrainian stronghold city has withstood heavy attacks since the Russian invasion began in 2022.

Pre-war it had more than 14,000 inhabitants, but now it is in ruins, with Soviet-era apartment buildings half-standing, torn apart and scarred by fire.

Moscow says the Donetsk region is one of four Ukrainian regions it has annexed since 2022, a claim Kiev rejects as illegal.

Moscow definitely wanted control of Buhledar, because it considered the capture of the city an important “stepping stone” for the integration of the entire region into Russia.

The capture of Vukhledar, which Moscow presents as one of the last Ukrainian strongholds in southern Donetsk, opens the way for Russian forces to advance in other areas.