Russian military analysts list Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka as the "fortress cities" in Ukraine's east accessible from Chasiv Yar if Moscow's forces can get there, something Kyiv is determined to stop.

Russia's Defence Ministry said in a brief statement its forces had "liberated" the town. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed the claim as "disinformation".

Russian forces cannot capture Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region on the move. Ukrainian troops maintain fire control over all approaches where Russians attempt assaults, said Ukrainian 11th Army Corps Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Dmytro Zaporozhets.