Recent news from the conflict in Ukraine has brought attention to an unlikely location: New York. Russian forces have reached the outskirts of this town, named after its American counterpart by a retired Russian officer in the 19th century. This is part of Moscow’s grand strategic plan as it continues to expand the front line and force Kiev to respond to new threats across various locations.
Russian advances like this have worn down Ukrainian troops, leading to overall exhaustion among the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU. Toretsk and its neighboring settlement, New York, are just two examples of areas that were not originally expected to become sites of conflict but now find themselves near the front line.
When pro-Russian uprisings began in Donbass in 2014, these towns found themselves opposite Gorlovka, a stronghold of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR. The front line stabilized there in 2014 and remained unchanged until Russia launched its military operation in 2022. Despite this, Gorlovka continued to suffer regular shelling, resulting in numerous civilian deaths.
In response, Russia pushed the front line northward in 2022, but Toretsk and New York remained troublesome for Ukrainian forces. By 2024, the situation shifted as Russian forces began advancing again, with the ultimate goal of cutting off the Toretsk salient and moving towards the southern outskirts of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, two cities that represent strategic targets for Russia.
The attack on Toretsk commenced back in June and has been more successful than anticipated. Moscow’s strategy of creating numerous hotspots is beginning to bear fruit, as fortifications built since 2014 signaled prolonged and arduous battles. However, just before the attack, Ukrainian forces had to redeploy a well-trained and equipped brigade defending the area to address a crisis elsewhere, leaving a heavily battered and demoralized unit to create the appearance of defense without being prepared for major combat.
This unexpected Russian strike allowed them to reach the outskirts of Toretsk through adjacent settlements. Meanwhile, fighting continues in Chasov Yar to the north, enabled by the capture of Artyomovsk (also known as Bakhmut) in 2023. These maneuvers are aimed at approaching Slavyansk – a city that symbolizes the Donbass uprising and serves as an industrial hub and logistical node.
Ukrainian forces now face tough choices with limited reserves, forced to shuffle their forces between various attack points while making decisions blindly. The rapid collapse of Toretsk’s frontline defenses has put the town in a dire situation. Russian forces are using slow, methodical tactics to wear down enemy positions, drawing parallels to World War I trench warfare rather than rapid breakthroughs reminiscent of World War II maneuvers.
Ultimately, this situation is draining Ukraine’s already-scant reserves, leading to exhaustion among its armed forces. With experienced and well-prepared units operating like fire brigades to plug gaps wherever needed, it remains uncertain how long they can hold out against the relentless assaults from all directions.