Analysts deny Russian forces have occupied Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast

DeepState reported that fighting continues in the Zabalka neighborhood and on the northern and western outskirts, with Russian forces controlling nearly the entire center of Toretsk.

"Unfortunately, people are resorting to enemy sources due to a lack of trust in their own official outlets," analysts noted.

On Jan. 30, Yevhen Alkhimov, an officer with the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade, said the front line in Toretsk has essentially disappeared, with occupiers amassing manpower in the city before launching assaults.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on Jan. 28 that Russian forces had made advances in the Kurakhove and Toretsk oblasts and the center of Chasiv Yar, though Ukrainian forces had managed to push back Russian troops in parts of Toretsk.

On Feb. 5, Ukrainian photographers Konstantin and Vlada Liberov documented the conditions around Toretsk, describing the dangerous environment where Ukrainian defenders fight.

"To get here, we travel along the only road, lined with kilometers of translucent threads. These are fiber optics used by the enemy to control drones. You can’t block them with radios, only shoot them down if you have the time and the right shot. We stop at a point when one of these drones explodes behind us," said Konstantin.