Russia said it has seized the eastern Ukrainian town of Chasiv Yar after 16 months of heavy fighting, which could potentially pave the way for further advances toward key cities in the Donetsk region.
Russia's Defence Ministry in a brief statement said its forces had "liberated" the town. A Ukrainian military spokesperson dismissed the claim as "propaganda," but video footage shared by a Russian airborne unit, and later verified by Reuters, appeared to show Russian troops raising both a paratrooper banner and the national flag over ruins in the town.
Meanwhile, Russian forces are also reportedly intensifying attacks near Pokrovsk, a city about 60 kilometres southwest of Chasiv Yar. With ceasefire talks stalled, U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that new sanctions targeting Russia and its trade partners could be introduced as early as next week.
Military analyst Emil Kastehelmi, co-founder of the Finland-based Black Bird Group, said the fall of Chasiv Yar, if confirmed, could open the way for a broader Russian advance that could lay the groundwork for further advances toward other strategic cities in eastern Ukraine.
"The terrain of Chasiv Yar has favoured the defender," he told Reuters. "Forested areas, waterways, hills and a varied building stock have enabled Ukraine to conduct a defensive operation lasting over a year, in which the Russians have made minimal monthly progress."
Kastehalmi said: "The fall of the city to the enemy is nevertheless a challenging situation for Ukraine, as it will bring the Russians closer to Kostiantynivka, which Russia is now approaching from several directions."
Chasiv Yar, positioned west of Bakhmut, which Russia captured in 2023, has served as a frontline barrier protecting a cluster of major eastern cities, including Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
Fighting for Chasiv Yar escalated in April last year, when Russian airborne units pushed into the town's eastern outskirts. Russian media later claimed their forces had issued surrender demands to Ukrainian troops inside, warning of airstrikes if they refused.
Once home to more than 12,000 people, Chasiv Yar is now largely destroyed.
Its pre-war economy centred on construction materials, including reinforced concrete and clay bricks, an industrial base now left in ruins by months of artillery fire.
Health authorities are monitoring a widening hantavirus alert after new suspected cases emerged in Spain and on a remote South Atlantic island, day...
Russia is holding a significantly scaled-back Victory Day parade in Moscow on 9 May 2026, reflecting heightened security concerns and the ongoing w...
Efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war appeared to stall as the two sides exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz. A rep...
Somalia is facing a severe malnutrition crisis and urgently needs additional humanit...
A Kyrgyz–Japanese archaeological expedition has uncovered the remains of a Buddhist temple complex at the medieval settlement of Ak-Beshim, a...
Health authorities are monitoring a widening hantavirus alert after new suspected cases emerged in Spain and on a remote South Atlantic island, days after an outbreak on a cruise ship left three people dead and several others infected.
Russia is holding a significantly scaled-back Victory Day parade in Moscow on 9 May 2026, reflecting heightened security concerns and the ongoing war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
Efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war appeared to stall as the two sides exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz. A reported CIA assessment suggested Tehran could withstand a U.S. naval blockade for months despite mounting sanctions and renewed Gulf attacks.
Somalia is facing a severe malnutrition crisis and urgently needs additional humanitarian funding to prevent conditions deteriorating further, the World Food Programme has warned.
The U.S military said it carried out retaliatory strikes on Iran on Thursday (7 May). Meanwhile, Iran's Joint Military Command accused the U.S. of breaching the ceasefire, by striking an Iranian oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and launching attacks on several Iranian cities.
The U.S. and Iran exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz, though both sides signalled they did not want escalation. The clashes come as Washington awaits Tehran’s response to a proposed deal to end the war while leaving key disputes, such as Iran’s nuclear programme, unresolved for now.
Singapore has isolated and is testing two of its residents who travelled aboard a cruise ship linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak, the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) said on Thursday.
Efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war appeared to stall as the two sides exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz. A reported CIA assessment suggested Tehran could withstand a U.S. naval blockade for months despite mounting sanctions and renewed Gulf attacks.
Ukraine’s military said it struck a Russian Karakurt-class small missile carrier in the Caspian Sea near Russia’s Dagestan region on Thursday. The extent of the damage is still being assessed, according to Kyiv.
Somalia is facing a severe malnutrition crisis and urgently needs additional humanitarian funding to prevent conditions deteriorating further, the World Food Programme has warned.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to carry on as leader on Friday (8 May) after his ruling Labour Party suffered heavy losses in local elections. Labour lost hundreds of councillors across the country, as some figures in the party said he should stand down.
Indonesian rescue teams have located two Singaporeans who went missing after Mount Dukono erupted on Friday (8 May) on the island of Halmahera, though authorities say it remains unclear whether they are alive.
Health authorities are monitoring a widening hantavirus alert after new suspected cases emerged in Spain and on a remote South Atlantic island, days after an outbreak on a cruise ship left three people dead and several others infected.
The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified files on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) on Friday (8 May), following an order from President Donald Trump. U.S. officials described as a push for “unprecedented transparency”.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment