Russia claims city in eastern Ukraine after years of fighting

Ukrainian forces withdrew Tuesday night from the city of Vuhledar before Russian forces took charge of the hilltop mining town. Vuhledar is located in the southeastern Donetsk region and was a front-line stronghold for Ukraine. Ukraine’s Khortytsia group of ground troops said on Telegram that it withdrew to protect personnel and equipment. The city had a population of more than 14,000 before the war, but it has been devastated by fighting.

How does this fit into Russia’s recent maneuvers? Russian forces have been pushing westward in recent weeks, and now control large portions of the Donetsk province. Moscow aims to take control of the whole Donbas region, which includes Donetsk, Russian leader Vladimir Putin has said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been asking the United States to allow Kyiv to use missiles to strike deeper inside Russia. So far, the Biden administration has refused his request.

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report about Washington resisting Zelenskyy’s appeals.