Russian troops push into Selydove as Donbas battle intensifies

Russian troops are now fighting street-by-street in Selydove‚ a town in eastern Ukraine with a pre-war population of over 20‚000 (according to pro-Russian sources). This conflict is part of Moscows larger effort to gain control over the entire Donbas region

The Russian military has been making significant progress in recent weeks. Their September advance was the quickest since the early stages of the conflict‚ almost two-and-a-half years ago. Despite Ukraine taking a small part of Russias Kursk region‚ Russian forces have been focusing their efforts on eastern Ukraineʼs Donbas

Russian tactics involve surrounding towns in the Donetsk region‚ then slowly tightening their grip until Ukrainian units are forced to withdraw. They seem to be applying this strategy to Selydove. Yuri Podolyaka‚ a well-known pro-Russian military blogger stated: “Street by street fighting is going on in the town the assault on Selydove has intensified“

Russia currently controls roughly 80% of Donbas‚ an area about half the size of Ohio. Theyre pushing westwards along a 100 km stretch of the 1200 km front‚ focusing on strategically important towns like Pokrovsk and Kurakhove

The conflict‚ which began roughly two-and-a-half years ago‚ is entering what Russian officials describe as its most dangerous phase. Ukraine is seeking NATO membership‚ a move Russia strongly opposes. However‚ the United States and key NATO powers havent publicly supported Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiys call for an immediate NATO-membership invitation

Russian forces control about a fifth of Ukraine‚ including 98.5% of the Luhansk region and 60% of the Donetsk region. These two regions make up the Donbas‚ which has been at the heart of the conflict since pro-Russian protests erupted there after Ukraines 2014 Maidan Revolution