ISW: Russian troops claim control of Kurakhove after months of fierce fighting

Geolocation imagery supports the claims of Russian military bloggers and shows recent advances by enemy forces in the western and southwestern parts of the city. They are believed to have reached the administrative boundaries of Kurakhove and captured the settlement and surrounding fields.

Units of the Russian 5th Motorized Rifle Brigade (51st Combined Arms Army) are reported to have raised the flag over the western part of the town, while units of the 110th and 114th Motorized Rifle Brigades, as well as the 20th and 150th Motorized Rifle Divisions, are advancing along the northern and southern flanks of Kurakhove. 

There are conflicting reports about the extent of the advance, with some sources claiming that Russian troops have moved beyond Kurakhove toward Dachne, while others say they are unsuccessfully attacking the Kurakhove thermal power plant, which is outside the administrative boundaries.

Ukraine's Khortytsia Group of Forces acknowledged that Ukrainian forces had recently lost unspecified positions in the sector.

It took Russian troops more than two months to capture Kurakhove, which covers an area of 7.3 square kilometers. The enemy intensified its offensive operations in the sector in mid-October 2024, with the first confirmed advance into the city in late October 2024. 

Russian forces have reportedly concentrated approximately 35,000 to 36,000 troops in the direction of Kurakhove in recent months, both to seize the settlement and to eliminate Ukrainian pockets to the north and south of it. The enemy has likely suffered significant casualties during the period of intensified offensive operations.