In the northern Donetsk Oblast, fighting has continued for control of Chasiv Yar and Toretsk. Russia has been attempting to gain control of the two towns, which serve as the gateway to the Donetsk cities of Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka, since early 2024.
As noted by British military analysts of the UK Ministry of Defense, Russian forces attempted assaults in Chasiv Yar and Toretsk with armored vehicles in late December 2024 and early January 2025. The analysts consider it likely that these attacks were repelled in Chasiv Yar, but in Toretsk Russia has continued to advance.
Russian forces likely control at least 70 per cent of Toretsk, and have made grinding progress through the town, but urban fighting has inhibited rapid advancement. In Chasiv Yar, the Siverski Donets-Donbas canal serves as the current line of control.
Advancing Russian forces are frequently targeted by Ukrainian UAV operators as they approach the canal. Russian forces have been attempting to interdict Ukrainian logistics routes in and out of these towns.
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