Russia has seized control of Vuhledar, a crucial town in eastern Ukraine, putting an end to the resistance and highlighting the difficult situation Kyiv faces going into its third winter of war.
Troops were caught on camera waving the Russian flag over the city hall ruins. The town’s population has plummeted from 14,000 to just over a hundred.
Ukraine’s military confirmed they pulled out of Vuhledar on Wednesday because Russia sent more troops and there was a risk of being surrounded.
Putin’s main goal is to grab the whole eastern Donbas region. Russia has been making small gains in the east this year and Zelensky didn’t get what he wanted from his meeting with Biden.
Vuhledar, a town built around a coal mine (its name means coal in Ukrainian), is about 50km (30 miles) south of Pokrovsk. It has been seen as Russia’s main target in the east recently.
Vuhledar, like Avdiivka, got taken over in February. It wasn’t because of clever Russian tactics, just brute-force attrition.
Ukraine held their ground for two years, while Russia repeatedly failed to capture the town.
But now that they have, only God knows what next.