Tense battles rage near Toretsk as Russian troops attempt small-scale advances
The expanding gray zone near Toretsk in Donbas has led to continual skirmishes, with Russian military units attempting to breakthrough in small groups. According to Ukrainian Armed Forces officer with the call sign "Alex," the fighting persists at the outskirts of the city.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have not entered Toretsk in the Donetsk region. confirmed the head of the CNSDC’s Public Affairs Center, Andriy Kovalenko, on his Telegram channel.
"As of now, there are no Russian troops in the city. Thus, as of 12:00 today, reports of Russian forces entering Toretsk are inaccurate," Kovalenko stated.
He noted that attempts by Russian reconnaissance and sabotage groups to enter Toretsk had been thwarted.
Officer Alex highlighted that while isolated cases of Russian breakthrough attempts at the city's outskirts have occurred, these efforts have been ineffective. "The locals can attest, the situation on the northernmost streets is dire, with chaos essentially reigning there, which is no secret even by looking at DeepState maps," Alex explained.
According to him, the gray zone at the city’s approaches has widened, with Russians trying to penetrate in small groups. Consequently, combat continues at the city’s boundary, even within a few dozen meters inside, he clarified. This expansion of the gray zone is the source of ongoing clashes.
A Ukrainian serviceman operating a Telegram channel, "Bakhmut Demon," corroborated these facts after speaking to a drone operator friend stationed near Toretsk, who confirmed that Russian forces had not entered the city. "But how long we can hold the outskirts, I don't know," he emphasized.