Russian forces are reportedly engaged in intense street-to-street battles with Ukrainian troops on the outskirts of Selydove, a town in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. This development, reported by pro-Russian military bloggers, marks a significant escalation in Moscow’s efforts to gain full control over the strategically important Donbas region.
According to open-source data, Russian forces have made their most rapid advance since March 2022 in the past month, despite Ukraine’s recent incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. The focus of this Russian push has been the eastern Donbas region, which President Vladimir Putin has explicitly stated he aims to fully control.
Yuri Podolyaka, a prominent Ukrainian-born, pro-Russian military blogger, reported, “Street by street fighting is going on in the town,” adding that “The assault on Selydove has intensified.” Other pro-Russian sources have shared video footage purportedly showing intensive shelling of Selydove, though Reuters has not been able to independently verify these claims. The Russian defense ministry has not commented on the situation.
Contrasting reports have emerged from Ukrainian sources. The General Staff of Ukraine’s military stated in a late evening report on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had repelled 41 Russian attacks around several towns and villages, including Selydove, with four battles still ongoing in the area. The popular Ukrainian war blog DeepState continues to show Selydove under Ukrainian control.
The town of Selydove, with a pre-war population exceeding 20,000, is part of a broader Russian strategy that has seen them surround towns in the Donetsk region before gradually constricting them until Ukrainian units are forced to withdraw.
Currently, Russia controls approximately 80% of the Donbas region, an area about half the size of Ohio. Russian forces are pushing westward along about 100 km of the 1,200-km front, focusing on tactically important towns like Pokrovsk and Kurakhove.
This phase of the conflict, now in its third year, is being described by Russian officials as the most dangerous yet. The situation is further complicated by geopolitical factors, including Ukraine’s aspirations for NATO membership – a move Russia has declared unacceptable. The United States and key NATO powers have not publicly endorsed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s call for an immediate NATO membership invitation.
The conflict’s roots trace back to the 2014 Maidan Revolution in Ukraine, which saw the ousting of a pro-Russian president. This event was followed by Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of pro-Russian protests in parts of the Donbas, where Moscow began supporting separatist forces.
As the situation in Selydove and the broader Donbas region continues to evolve, it remains a critical focal point in the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict, with significant implications for regional stability and international relations.
