Russian forces are closing in on the strategic town of Vuhledar in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk Oblast. The town, positioned on high ground overlooking an important east-west road towards the southern edge of the Donbas front line, is now surrounded on three sides by Russian troops.

Vadym Filashkin, head of the Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, reported that Russian forces have almost reached the center of Vuhledar. He stated,

“There are still 107 people remaining in Vuhledar. Fortunately, all children have already been evacuated from there.”

The situation for the remaining civilians is dire, with constant shelling making the delivery of humanitarian aid extremely challenging. Filashkin noted that “the supply of humanitarian aid to the area is difficult, as Russian troops are shelling all delivery routes with various types of weapons.”

He says a similar situation is unfolding in the town of Toretsk, where approximately 1,500 civilians remain.

The OSINT aggregator Deep State, which maintains an interactive frontline map, reported on 1 October that Russian forces had advanced near Bohoiavlenka, northeast of Vuhledar, and within Vuhledar itself. Earlier, on 30 September, Deep State had reported that Russian troops had entered Vuhledar from the west and south, based on publicly available footage.

Related:

• Frontline report: Ukrainian forces repel Russian frontal attacks in Vuhledar but face encirclement risk
• Forbes: Russian forces may capture Vuhledar amid heavy personnel, vehicle losses