The Russians infiltrated another front-line town in Donetsk. Putin boasted of his conquest in his annual conference

In recent weeks, heavy fighting has taken place in another city on the eastern front, namely the city of Siversk, the Kyiv Independent and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service report. It was mentioned by Vladimir Putin in his annual marathon conference on Friday, in which he answers questions from citizens and journalists, listing it among Russia's recent successes, although Ukrainians deny these claims. The Russian president even invited a military man to speak about the capture of the city, who claimed that the residents were happy to be freed from the Russians.

The front-line town of Kostiantinivka PHOTO EPA-EFE

Siversk is a small but important outpost that Russian forces have been trying to capture since late 2022.

Currently, Russian troops have captured most of the city, according to the DeepState map, close to Ukrainian forces.

Russia announced as early as December 11 that it had captured Siversk, with the Russian Ministry of Defense also publishing images of Russian flags on buildings in the city.

The leadership of the 11th Army, responsible for this segment of the front, denied the fall of the city. A few days later, however, he admitted that he only controlled “part of the city”.

In September a spokesman for the 11th Army Corps warned of Russian intentions to launch an offensive here, with the aim of establishing a support position for further attacks.

A few weeks later, on November 25, the Ukrainian open-source intelligence group DeepState reported a sharp increase in Russian attacks and incursions into the urban area of ​​the city.

Thus, on the eastern outskirts of the city of Siversk, the first “red” zone has already appeared, and then in December it quickly expanded and, in just two weeks, covered more than half of the city.

In a video posted on YouTube on December 10, DeepState co-founder Roman Pohorilyi announced that the situation had deteriorated: Russian forces had begun to infiltrate Siversk from several directions.

“It all started with enemy units that infiltrated the city from the flanks, especially from the south. Later, they also forced from the east, near Verhniokamianske. Although the 54th Brigade of Ukraine managed to hold the line there for a long time, the enemy finally began to break into the city,” he said.

On December 13, Ukrainska Pravda reported that Russian forces had infiltrated much of Siversk, citing military sources warning of a critical situation. They explained that the Bakhmutka River had become a natural barrier and would probably serve as the city's last defensive line.

“The Bakhmutka River has become a major obstacle for the enemy. It currently delimits the active line of engagement. Although there are attempts to cross it — even under bridges — Ukrainian forces continue to attack enemy troops trying to fortify beyond it,” he explained.

The fighting in Siversk continues

On December 14, Maksym Butolin, chief sergeant of the 54th Separate Mechanized Brigade — the unit leading the defense of the city of Siversk — said on national television that “talking about full control of the city is impossible.”

Butolin pointed out that Russian units take advantage of fog, rain and snow to move in small groups and hide in the basements of residential buildings.

Two days later, on December 16, the brigade reported that fighting was still ongoing inside the city.

“Siversk remains under constant pressure from the invaders: some try to break into the city, others into the suburbs, hoping to strengthen their positions. But for them, it ends the same every time,” the brigade's statement said.

Military expert Vladislav Seleznev made the observation that between Sloviansk and Siversk there are fields and forests, and because of this it will be difficult to establish a stable defense line in this area.

“Of course, our technical-engineering services and units are working to create as many problems as possible for the enemy and his army,” he told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service.

Why the city is important

Before the full-scale invasion, Siversk was home to about 10,000 inhabitants. The city has since been largely depopulated, with local authorities estimating that only a few hundred civilians remain.

Despite its modest size, Siversk plays a key role in the defense of the northern Donetsk region.

The city helps protect the larger urban centers of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk — the main bastions of Ukraine's so-called “fortified belt” that Moscow has failed to capture in nearly four years of fighting and that are now at the center of peace talks that the US is trying to speed up.

It is 27 kilometers from Siversk to Sloviansk, and 36 kilometers to Kramatorsk.

Russian forces have been trying to reach Siversk since July 2022, after the fall of Sievierodonetsk and Lisichansk.

During the more than three years of fighting, Siversk was among the most stable areas of the front, despite the intensity of the fighting in the surrounding areas, with Russian troops managing to advance only about 19 kilometers.

However, Pohorilyi warns that the collapse of Siversk, while not yet complete, is a real risk.

“At some point, we may wake up and find the whole city in the red zone. That's why more attention and reinforcements are urgently needed. Even the 54th Brigade recognizes that additional reserves and support are needed to hold this sector, which they have defended for years,” he said.

ISW: According to evidence, Russia occupied 77% of Siversk

Putin continued to exaggerate Russian successes, claiming that Russian forces had occupied Siversk. ISW assessed, based on the evidence, that Russian forces occupied approximately 77% of the city. Valeri Gherasimov also claimed at a December 18 briefing for foreign military attachés that Russian forces have occupied Kupyinsk (despite mounting evidence that Ukrainian forces have liberated a significant portion of the city) and control 50% of Kostiantinivka.

ISW observed evidence that Russian forces occupied only 1.6 percent of Kostiantinivka, while maintaining a presence in only five percent of the city (either through infiltration missions or assaults)