Ukraine's defense forces confirm withdrawal from Vuhledar

According to the Khortytsia operational-strategic group, despite suffering significant losses during prolonged battles, the enemy continued attempts to capture Vuhledar.

"In its efforts to seize control of the city at any cost, the enemy managed to direct reserves to conduct flanking strikes, which weakened the defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces units. As a result, the threat of the city being encircled arose," the statement reads.

To save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers and preserve equipment, the command authorized the withdrawal from Vuhledar.

"High command authorized the maneuver to withdraw units from Vuhledar in order to preserve personnel and military equipment, and to take positions for further operations," the Defense Forces said.

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What led to it

Vuhledar is a city in the Volnovakha district of the Donetsk region, located about 57 kilometers from Donetsk. The defense operation in this area had been ongoing for two years.

In recent weeks, the situation near Vuhledar deteriorated, with the enemy concentrating forces around the city. Last week, media reports suggested that the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade named after the Black Zaporozhians might have initiated a tactical withdrawal from Vuhledar, but later brigade fighters refuted this.

Recently, Russian forces claimed to have captured the city. Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) analyzed geolocation footage and confirmed that Russian forces had occupied Vuhledar.

However, ISW analysts believe that the capture of Vuhledar is unlikely to significantly change the course of the occupiers' offensive in the Donetsk region.

More details on why Russian invaders are interested in Vuhledar can be found in RBC-Ukraine's report.