Ukrainian forces hold firm as fierce battle for Toretsk rages
In Toretsk, eastern Ukraine, intense street fighting continues. Despite Russian reports of having captured the city, Ukrainian forces are still defending their positions.
On Friday, the DeepState project reported that Russian forces have not captured Toretsk in the Donetsk region. The Ukrainian army remains in the city, resisting the aggressors. Street fighting is occurring in various parts of the city, as confirmed by the latest reports.
The Russian Ministry of Defence previously announced that Toretsk, referred to as Dzerzhinsk by the Russians, has been captured by them. The city bore this name until 2016. Russian authorities claim that "the city of Dzerzhinsk in the Donetsk People's Republic was liberated," which they assert belongs to the unrecognised Donetsk People's Republic.
DeepState, a project monitoring the situation at the front, stated that fighting in Toretsk is concentrated in the Zabalk district and the northern and western outskirts of the city. "The city centre is practically taken over by the enemy" – was reported on the project's Telegram channel.
According to the Barron's, despite the difficult situation, Ukrainian forces are trying to hold their positions in the city.
Difficult situation in the Russian-occupied territories
The Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) reported that in the territories of Ukraine occupied by Russia, a ban on the sale of life-saving medicines to people who have not accepted a Russian passport has been imposed. As noted by censor.net, this ban includes, amongst other things, insulin and thyroid medications.
Since February 2025, the Russian occupation administration imposed a ban on providing medical care to people who refused to accept Russian citizenship. Additionally, since the start of the year, Russian institutions have stopped paying pensions to elderly people who do not have Russian passports.
HUR warns that Ukrainians avoiding contact with Russian authorities might be deported to distant regions of Russia. Men in the occupied territories are at risk of forced mobilisation into the Russian army. Ukrainians emphasise that this is further evidence of Russia's violation of international law.
