Russian forces are advancing along multiple sectors of the 800-mile (1,290-km) Ukrainian front despite suffering heavy daily losses of 1,200-2,000 troops and up to 100 vehicles. Yet in Toretsk (Donetsk Oblast), a town of 35,000 before the war, Ukrainian forces are pushing back—using desperate tactics that reflect the war’s brutal evolution.
The Ukrainian strategy in Toretsk is stark: demolish entire highrises containing Russian positions to reclaim the city.
“How they’re doing it speaks to the Ukrainians’ desperation as Russia’s wider war on their country grinds toward its fourth bloody year,” Forbes defense reporter David Axe notes.
Recently, the 1st Omega Detachment of the National Guard demonstrated this approach. Under cover of darkness, they conducted a swift raid on a Russian-held building on Svitla Street. While suppressing fire from their armored vehicle provided cover, guardsmen planted powerful explosives in the structure before making a rapid withdrawal. The subsequent detonation devastated several floors of the building.
Exhilarating footage of the Ukrainian SOF Omega unit approaching a building with entrenched Russian militants, rigging it with explosives and blowing it up from a safe distance. pic.twitter.com/3ACqBFrUL5
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) December 5, 2024
This wasn’t an isolated incident. Since early October, observers analyzing satellite imagery and combat footage have identified a clear pattern: Ukrainian forces systematically target Russian-occupied highrises, follow up with infantry assaults, and advance once the positions are neutralized. This tactic has yielded results—Ukrainian troops have made progress along Ryaboshapka Street near the recent Svitla Street operation.
“Flattening a city to save it is, on its face, an absurd tactic,” Axe says.
However, the alternative—retreating and allowing the battle to shift to the next settlement—would likely result in similar destruction elsewhere. The Ukrainian National Guard continues its block-by-block advance through Toretsk, leaving a trail of rubble in its wake as it fights to reclaim its territory.
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