Toretsk turns into a ghost town: Ukrainian forces show drone footage
Photo: Toretsk (Getty Images)
As of April 2025, 48 civilians are likely remaining in Toretsk. Due to constant Russian shelling, the city is almost completely destroyed, 100th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in a video from Toretsk.
As the military noted, Toretsk is turning into a ghost town.
"Spring in Toretsk... For nine months now, the 100th Separate Mechanized Brigade, along with units attached to it, has been fighting the Battle for Toretsk. During this time, the rabid 'ru**ian world' has turned what was once a blooming city of the Ukrainian Donbas into a ghost town," the military wrote.
The occupiers are trying to advance in this direction but are facing serious resistance. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are publishing footage from drones that capture the scale of destruction and the consequences of Russian shelling.
Earlier, the Donetsk Regional Military Administration head, Vadym Filashkin, stated that 48 people remain in Toretsk, and 142 in the Toretsk community. Ukrainian military are trying to deliver aid to these people.
"Civilian charitable organizations that had been evacuating residents from the cities of Toretsk and Chasiv Yar for almost six months now cannot enter. All roads are under heavy shelling," he added.
What is known about Toretsk
Before the war in Donbas began in 2014, Toretsk (called Dzerzhynsk until 2016) had around 35,000 residents. It was a small but active city with a developed industrial base.
The economy was based on coal mining enterprises, particularly mines, which were the main employers for local residents. Toretsk is known for its mining history and the work of several generations of miners.
Toretsk has a railway station that serves as a logistics hub for transporting coal and goods.
Battles for Toretsk
In the summer of last year, battles for Toretsk began in the Donetsk region. And at the beginning of September 2024, the occupiers managed to enter the city's territory. Since then, urban battles have been ongoing between Ukrainian troops and Russians.
According to experts from the American Institute for the Study of War, geolocation maps as of April 8 indicate that Russian forces have recently advanced in the fields to the northwest of Toretsk.
We also wrote that the situation around Toretsk is deteriorating, and if the Russians take control of it, they will “open” the Kostiantynivka direction.
For more details, read RBC-Ukraine's article “As Washington talks peace, Moscow escalates. Latest from Russia-Ukraine frontlines”.
