Russia Takes Over Buhledar In Eastern Ukraine

Russian forces have captured Buhledar, Donetsk Province, Ukraine, which is considered a key eastern frontline point.

According to local media, the strategic operations group of Ukrainian forces defending the eastern front line said they had been ordered to withdraw from Buhledar to avoid a Russian siege on the 2nd local time.

Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-controlled coordinator for regional integration in Ukraine, told the RIA Novosti news agency that Russian forces were in complete control of western, southern, eastern and downtown Buhledar and that the enemy was withdrawing troops to the northern outskirts.

Russia's Defense Ministry did not say whether it would occupy Buhledar, but pro-government military bloggers and others said Ukrainian forces began withdrawing from the country on the 30th of last month.

Russian media outlet Moskovsky Komsomolets reported that the remaining forces of the 72nd Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces had abandoned their weapons and withdrawn the night before.

Buhledar is a coal mining town that has served as a fortress since the beginning of Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine in February 2022.

The town is formed on the highlands, making it good for shelling and of strategic importance at the intersection of the eastern and southern fronts, Reuters explained.