The Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine authorized the withdrawal of Ukrainian units from the сity of Vuhledar in the Donetsk region, the Khortytsia group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
"In an attempt to take control of the city at any cost, [the Russian military] managed to send reserves to carry out flank attacks, which exhausted the defense of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. There was a threat of the city to be encircled as a result of the actions of the enemy," representatives of the Khortytsia group said.
The day before, Russian war correspondents and Telegram channels published a video of Russian fighters putting up Russian flags in the center of Vuhledar.
Vuhledar is located in the Volnovakha district of the Donetsk region. Control over the city is considered strategically important in terms of supply logistics. The city sits on a hill and at the intersection of eastern and southern fronts.
The capture of Vuhledar by the Russian Army may increase pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Bloomberg agency said.
Kyiv is struggling to contain the Russian offensive, the agency noted. The article also said that the capture of Vuhledar would provide the Russian forces with a more advantageous position in terms of logistics.
Speaking about Ukraine's loss of Vuhledar, the agency noted that last week Zelensky, when in the US, tried to promote his "victory plan," but the politician's proposals did not receive much enthusiasm.