War in Ukraine: Russia claims conquest of the fortified city of Chassiv Yar

The fighting had intensified in recent days. But the outcome seemed inevitable. The Russian army announced the conquest of Chassiv Yar (Donbass) in a press release on Thursday, July 31. Ukrainian military authorities, however, have not yet responded. A district of the city, in the far west, was still holding out, but it gave way under the battering rams and an encirclement that began in the north of the city. This locality, which had a population of nearly 15,000 before the large-scale invasion of February 24, 2022, had become a Russian objective after the capture of Bakhmut in May 2023.

Situated on high ground and well-fortified, its final conquest could open the way to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, the last two major cities in Donbass under Ukrainian control. Finally, it should also allow an advance towards Kostiantynivka, about ten kilometers away, a city that remains a logistics hub for the Ukrainian army.

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Russia continues military operations in Ukraine, despite limited progress in Donbass, a region it annexed through a referendum that was illegal under international law. In early July, Moscow claimed control of a village in the Dnipro region, in the center of the country: Dachne. Fighting continues mainly around Pokrovsk, a town with a population of 60,000 before the invasion and a major logistics hub. This town is much further south of Chassiv Yar. Kremlin troops are slowly encircling it.

The capture of Shasiv Yar comes as Donald Trump seeks to put pressure on Vladimir Putin . On Tuesday, the US president gave his Russian counterpart ten days to stop the fighting, failing which heavy sanctions would be imposed on Russia and its allies. Negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow have not been successful, despite discussions in Turkey at the end of July.

In early June, the Kremlin produced a memorandum listing its demands for an end to the conflict: abandonment of Ukrainian sovereignty over five regions conquered and partially occupied by Russia, a ban on NATO membership, limitations on military capabilities, an end to Western aid and intelligence sharing, the lifting of sanctions, recognition of Russian as an official language, restoration of the Moscow Patriarchate over the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and a waiver of any claim for reparations. Kyiv, for its part, is demanding Russian withdrawal from Ukrainian territory, compensation for the damage caused, and the prosecution of war criminals before competent courts.