Russia takes control of frontline village of Toshkivka in Donbass region, says Ukraine

As the Moscow-Kyiv conflict in Eastern Europe has entered its 119th day, Russian soldiers have taken control of Toshkivka, a frontline settlement near the Donbas region's twin cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk. Roman Vlasenko, the chief of the Sievierodonetsk district military administration, told Ukrainian television, “As of today, according to our information, Toshkivka is controlled entirely by the Russians”, The Guardian reported. According to Vlasenko, the fight for Donbas is "now in full swing," and the entire area is "now the epicentre of fighting between Ukraine and the Russian Army”. 

With Ukraine claiming Russia’s seizure of Toshkivka, the Kremlin forces have advanced further into Donbass, which has become a brutal, weeks-long battle scene, TRT World reported. Toshkivka, which had a population of roughly 5,000 people before the crisis, is located about 25 kilometres south of Severodonetsk, where Russian soldiers have been fighting Kyiv's army for weeks. 

In addition to this, Vlasenko told CNN that the settlement had not been under Ukrainian authority since Monday. The settlement had been captured on Tuesday, according to separatist troops in Ukraine supported by Russia.  

Furthermore, as the battle enters a "decisive" phase, Russia's military is chopping down Ukraine's fortifications with fierce action in eastern territories, as per media reports. The war for control of various villages is continuing in Ukraine's eastern Luhansk region, which has been the centerpiece of Moscow's efforts to impose its will on its neighbour in recent weeks, according to the local governor. 

The Russian military has been ordered to take over the whole Luhansk area by next Sunday, as per Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar. Moscow's military currently controls around 95% of the territory. 

Russia's assault laid down blanket of fire throughout Ukraine

Apart from this, Ukraine's first deputy minister of foreign affairs stated that Russian troops have fired a rocket into a school in the city of Avdiivka, Donetsk, causing massive fires. On her official Twitter account, Emine Dzheppar posted a video of the school's roof burning and the Ukrainian flag unfurling amid the smoke and winds. She asserted, “Russian invaders continue destroying, killing and robbing Ukrainian children's futures,” as per media reports.  

Nearly four months after the Kremlin launched an invasion, Russian assaults put down a blanket of fire throughout eastern Ukraine, where pockets of resistance are preventing Moscow's complete military control of the territory. The governor of Ukraine's eastern Luhansk area, Serhiy Haidai, told The Associated Press that "today everything that can burn is on fire." 

Russia's conflict has raised concerns about food supplies from Ukraine to the rest of the globe and Russian gas supplies, as well as security concerns in Western Europe. Despite deploying extra soldiers and having a tremendous advantage in military weapons, Moscow has battled for weeks to totally overrun it. 

Ukrainian soldiers held hold to the Azot chemical facility on the industrial outskirts of Sievierodonetsk, the fighting's epicentre. About 500 residents are taking refuge at the facility, and Haidai claims Russian soldiers are destroying the region. 

(Image: AP)