Ukrainian troops maintain partial control of Vuhledar despite Russian flag raised over city
Russian troops do not have full control over Vuhledar in Donetsk Oblast, although they are reportedly in the city center, soldiers of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade told the public broadcaster Suspilne late on Oct. 1.
“The brigade has not received an order to withdraw from the city,” one of the soldiers said, adding that as of the evening of Oct. 1, some parts of the city remained under the control of Ukrainian forces.
Despite active attacks by Russian forces, which have deployed at least five well-trained brigades supported by aviation, the brigade continues to hold the defensive line in Vuhledar, said Andriy Nazarenko, the commander of the brigade’s unmanned systems battalion, noting that the past six months have seen a significant escalation in the constant attacks.
According to an earlier report from the DeepState monitoring group that same evening, enemy forces had raised Russian flags over the city center.
"Russians have occupied Vuhledar - they are flying their flags in every corner of the city," the group wrote, without providing further details.
This echoes a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on the capture of the city, while casting doubt on the ability of the Russian army to make further advances beyond Vuhledar in the immediate future.
Geolocated footage published on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 shows Russian forces planting Russian flags and operating freely in various parts of Vuhledar, following a report of a partial withdrawal of the Ukrainian force grouping to avoid encirclement.
The extent of Ukrainian casualties is unknown at this time, but the widespread reports of Ukrainian withdrawal suggest that the larger Ukrainian contingent likely avoided a Russian encirclement.
Official Ukrainian sources have neither confirmed nor denied the loss of Vuhledar.
Earlier in the day, Donetsk regional governor Vadym Filashkin reported that the situation in Vuhledar was dire and that Russian forces had almost reached the city center.
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