Putin Says Russian Army Is Rapidly Advancing in Eastern Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the advance of Russian forces in eastern Ukraine is much faster than before, capturing several square kilometers every day. He made these remarks on Monday, September 3, coinciding with ongoing Russian military attacks aimed at breaking one of the most important defensive positions of the Ukrainian army in the Donetsk region. Approximately 18% of Ukraine's territory is occupied by the Russian army. Following the unsuccessful large-scale counteroffensive by the Ukrainian army in the summer of 2023, Russian forces have continued their advance on the eastern fronts in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Despite the extensive operations of the Ukrainian army that began in mid-August and resulted in the capture of a significant portion of the border areas of Russia in the Kursk region, the advance of the Russian army towards the strategic city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine has accelerated in recent weeks. During a visit to a school in the Tuva region, located 4,500 kilometers east of Moscow, Putin said, 'Our advance in the Donbas region has not been this fast for a long time. Now our daily advance is not about 200 to 300 meters, but they are capturing areas several square kilometers in size every day.' Kremlin-backed bloggers claimed on Monday that Russian army forces are now fighting inside the cities of Soledar and Ukrainesk in the Donetsk region. The Ukrainian government has not yet commented on reports of Russian advances in these areas. Yuriy Podolyaka, an influential Ukrainian-born blogger and Kremlin supporter, stated that intense battles are ongoing in the city of Soledar, located 20 kilometers south of Pokrovsk, and in the city of Ukrainesk, located 14 kilometers south of Soledar. He added that both sides have sent numerous forces to these two cities. Before the start of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, the population of Soledar was about 20,000, and the population of Ukrainesk was about 10,000. A Russian blogger named 'Rybar' also claimed that heavy fighting continues in both cities. The Russian news agency TASS reported that Ukrainian forces have retreated from parts of the city of Soledar. Kremlin-backed bloggers say that the Russian army aims to break the defensive lines of the Ukrainian army by advancing south towards the village of Kurakhivka and expand its control over the road between Donetsk and Pokrovsk. It appeared that one of the objectives of the Ukrainian army's operations to penetrate the border areas of the Kursk region of Russia was to compel Russian army commanders to transfer some combat units from the eastern fronts of Ukraine to this new battle focal point. The Russian news agency RIA reported on Monday, citing the country's Ministry of Defense, that Russian forces have captured a village called Skuchne in eastern Donetsk region.