UK intelligence names Russia's likely next steps after seizing Ukraine's Vuhledar

The UK Defense Ministry reports.

According to the report, on October 1, 2024, Russia announced the establishment of control over Vuhledar, a strategically important city in the south of Donetsk region, located at the intersection of the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk fronts.

The intelligence service emphasized that the capture was the result of an intensive operation launched in September and ended with the almost complete encirclement of the city, forcing Ukrainian troops to retreat.

“Russia had been making sporadic attempts to seize Vuhledar over the last two years, sustaining heavy losses in the process. The town is situated on a high ground, which made it a more defensible position for Ukrainian forces,” the statement said. 

According to UK intelligence, it is likely that Russian troops will attempt to continue to advance beyond Vuhledar in the coming weeks. 

“To the west, one likely objective is the town of Velyka Novosilka, Zaporizhzhia on the T0509 highway. 8 km to the north is the town of Bohoiavlenka,” the agency noted.

• On October 1, DeepState claimed that Russian terrorists had managed to capture Vuhledar. However, the 72nd Brigade denied the full occupation of the city.
• On October 2, the Khortytsia military unit officially announced the withdrawal of the military from Vuhledar. The High Command has granted permission to carry out a maneuver to withdraw units from Vuhledar in order to preserve personnel and military equipment, and to take up a position for further actions,” they said.
• On October 3, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the withdrawal of the Ukrainian military from Vuhledar the right thing to do, as it saved the lives of soldiers.
• After the withdrawal from Vuhledar, Donetsk region, which was announced on October 2, the 72nd Brigade continued to hold the line in the same area.