Toretsk has been "liberated" as a result of ongoing offensive efforts, according to reports from the Russian military in social media, where the city is referred to by its Russian name Dzerzjinsk.
The information is initially contradicted by some Ukrainian sources in social media who usually have insight into the war's development. Observers who follow the front line using open sources have, however, seen during Thursday and Friday how most of Toretsk appears to have come under Russian control.
The Russian invasion forces have long tried to take over Toretsk, which had around 30,000 inhabitants before the large-scale outbreak of war. Particularly last summer, several offensives were launched, after which many of the remaining inhabitants were evacuated by Ukrainian authorities.
A large part of the city's buildings have been shot to pieces. Images from there show row after row of bombed-out concrete shells of apartment buildings.
Toretsk is located on the front line in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, a few miles south of the disputed cities of Bachmut and Tjasiv Jar.
Bachmut was captured by Russia in mid-2023 after many months of extremely intense fighting. Tjasiv Jar is located on a strategic height and is therefore considered to have great strategic importance. There have been warnings that the Russian forces, after many twists and turns, are approaching a breakthrough.
