The Ukrainian army reports an intensification of the Russian offensive near Toretsk, in the Donetsk oblast.

The Russian army has activated its offensive on Toretsk, a town in Donetsk Oblast located near Russian-occupied Horlivka, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The military reported on June 22 that Russian aircraft were launching strikes with guided aerial bombs. Ukrainian forces repelled four attacks and three more are underway, the General Staff reported.

Toretsk, which had around 31,000 inhabitants before the war, is located less than 8 kilometers from the front line.

The DeepState monitoring service says Russian forces have captured Shumy, a village near Toretsk. “At the end of June 21, the Russians advanced into the street parallel to the railway line.”

The monitoring service reported that the Russian army occupied the village of Shumi, the pumping station and the 1 dump.

Despite the intensification of the Russian assault, the Ukrainian forces held their ground. Nazar Voloshyn, spokesperson for the Khortytsia Group of Forces, told the Kyiv Independent on June 22 that “Ukrainian forces are holding back the Russian assault in the Horlivka-Toretsk direction, Donetsk Oblast, amid ongoing fighting “.

The General Staff also reported that Russian forces continue to attempt to break through Ukrainian defenses in the direction of Pokrovsk, south of Toretsk, with positions near Novooleksandrivka, Vozdvyzhenka, Yevhenivka, Sokil, Novoselivka Persha and Novopokrovske under attack.

Russia launched a new offensive towards Kharkiv in May, but it was reportedly stopped. Russian troops intensified their activities in the Borova region of Kharkiv Oblast on June 18, but they also managed to be stopped there, Volochyn said on June 18.