Ukrainian military reports increased Russian offensive near Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast

The Russian military activated its offensive on Toretsk, a town in Donetsk Oblast located near Russian-occupied Horlivka, according to the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces. The military reported on 22 June that Russia’s aviation is launching strikes with guided aerial bombs. Ukrainian forces repelled four attacks, and three more are ongoing, the General Staff reported. Toretsk, with a pre-war population of around 31,000, is located less than 8 kilometers from the front line. The DeepState monitoring service claims that Russian forces have captured Shumy, a village near Toretsk. "As of the end of 21 June, the Russians have advanced along the street parallel to the railway.” The monitoring service reported that the Russian army had occupied the village of Shumy, the pumping station, and waste heap 1. Despite the intensified Russian assault, Ukrainian forces are holding their ground. Nazar Voloshyn, spokesperson for the Khortytsia group of forces, told the Kyiv Independent on 22 June that "Ukrainian forces are holding back Russia's assault in the Horlivka — Toretsk direction in Donetsk Oblast amid ongoing fighting." The General Staff also reported that Russian forces continue attempts to breach Ukrainian defenses in the Pokrovsk direction south of Toretsk, with positions near Novooleksandrivka, Vozdvyzhenka, Yevhenivka, Sokil, Novoselivka Persha, and Novopokrovske under attack. Russia launched a new offensive in the direction of Kharkiv in May, but it was reportedly halted. The Russian troops increased activity in the Borova area of Kharkiv Oblast on 18 June, but it was also managed to be stopped there, Voloshyn said on 18 June.