Vuhledar falls as Ukrainian forces withdrew after years of fighting

Kyiv forces have withdrawn from the town of Vuhledar in the Donetsk region, Ukrainian military command confirmed on Wednesday. 

According to the crowd-sourced monitoring website DeepState, Russian soldiers entered the coal-mining city in the Donbas on Tuesday, advancing from the West and South.

The US-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported earlier that Moscow’s forces have also been advancing northeast of the town. 

Geolocated footage published on Monday and Tuesday shows Russian forces planting Russian flags and freely operating in various parts of Vuhledar, and Russian military bloggers claimed on Tuesday that Russian forces seized the settlement.

Donetsk regional governor Vadym Filashkin said the situation on Tuesday was “very difficult”. “The enemy is already nearly in the centre of the city,” he told Ukrainian TV.

By Wednesday, the Khortytsia army group officially announced that Ukrainian forces had withdrawn. 

“The higher command authorized a manoeuvre to withdraw units from Vuhledar in order to save personnel and military equipment and take up a position for further operations,” the group said.

Ukraine’s 72nd Mechanised Brigade has defended the town for nearly two years.

The scale of Ukrainian casualties is unknown at this time, however, an orderly withdrawal likely helped avoid greater casualties. 

What is next for Russian forces?

Russian troops have been attempting to capture the town since the start of the full-scale invasion in early 2022. Vuhledar withstood numerous attacks in recent months and weeks as Moscow’s forces tried to encircle the town. 

The ISW said it is unclear if Russian forces will make rapid gains beyond Vuhledar in the immediate future.

Now, they will have to first completely clear the town “to make it a useable position from which they can launch future assaults,” ISW added, with Ukrainian defensive positions situated northeast of Vuhledar.