A Ukrainian soldier amid the devastation in Vuhledar in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, before forces withdrew on Tuesday (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP/File)


Wednesday’s Coverage: Russia Closes on Vuhledar in East


Map: Institute for the Study of War


UPDATE 1502 GMT:

At least three civilians, including a 6-year-old child, have been killed and four injured when Russian forces hit a car carrying liquefied gas.

Among the wounded in the Chernihiv region in northern Ukraine is a 4-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl, both of whom are in hospital in serious condition.


UPDATE 1453 GMT:

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said the decision to withdraw from Vuhledar, in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, as “absolutely correct” because it helped save the lives of troops.

“We cannot stop Russia without appropriate weapons. Then, when they destroy the positions of our troops, we must protect their lives because they are more important than any buildings,” Zelensky said during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Kyiv.


UPDATE 1222 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is hosting new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the former Netherlands Prime Minister, in Kyiv:

Our key objective, of course, remains Ukraine’s full membership in the Alliance. Today, we also discussed Ukraine’s Victory Plan, the situation on the battlefield, the current needs of our troops, as well as Ukraine’s air defense needs and additional cooperation with our neighbors.


UPDATE 1208 GMT:

Switzerland is allocating 1.5 billion Swiss francs ($1.7 billion) for reconstruction projects in Ukraine over the next four years, says the Swiss Ambassador to Ukraine and Moldova, Felix Baumann.

Ukrainian self-government, demining, and humanitarian aid will receive 1 billion Swiss francs. The rest of the money will be used for recovery programs involving the Swiss private sector.


UPDATE 0939 GMT:

The Kremlin ordered Russian media to ignore and later to downplay its record increase in defense spending.

The draft budget for 2025 raises defense expenditure by almost 30%, to 13.5 trillion rubles ($146 billion) from 10.4 trillion rubles ($111 billion) this year.

Immediately after Bloomberg published an article on September 23 on the planned budget, Government officials sent instructions to Russia State and pro-Kremlin media telling them to ignore the report.

Two sources from the media outlets confirmed the instructions. One said reporters were told “not to touch this topic” because “the budget hasn’t been passed yet”.

A week later, just before the budget was submissed to the Russian Parliament, outlets were told to present it as a primarily “social” one and to avoid any discussion of defense spending.

“The only exception is payments to military personnel and support for their families,” said a State media employee, as these were “social spending”.

The Kremlin also asked the pro-Kremlin media “not to promote” news of tax increases or mandatory payments, or to cover these topics in a positive light.

A “source close to the Putin administration” summarized:

Opinion polls indicate that rising prices are one of the biggest problems right now, and people generally suspect that it’s because of the special military operation. It’s also hard to overlook social problems like the shortage of doctors and teachers.

These issues are already evident, but when everyone reads that “military spending has increased”, sees billions added to the budget, and notices “social” problems getting even worse, the conclusion will be obvious: “The authorities are not managing things well.” And this can lead to declining approval ratings.


UPDATE 0913 GMT:

Ukraine’s air defenses downed 78 of 105 Iran-type attack drones launched by Russia overnight.

Another 23 UAVs were lost to electronic warfare, and one flew toward Belarus.

Around 15 drones were intercepted over and near the capital Kyiv.

The air raid alert lasted 5 1/2 hours. Debris from downed drones fell in the Desnianskyi district, but no damage or injuries were reported.


UPDATE 0807 GMT:

At least 12 civilians, including a 3-year-old girl, have been injured in a Russian guided bomb attack on a five-story apartment block in Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy commented (see Original Entry):

For such Russian strikes to stop, Ukraine must receive the required and, above all, sufficient support from the world, from partners. Every leader knows exactly what needs to be done. It is important to be decisive.


ORIGINAL ENTRY: After 31 months of Russian attacks, including a year-long offensive, Ukraine’s forces have withdrawn from the town of Vuhledar in the Donetsk region in the east of the country.

“The High Command gave permission for a maneuver to withdraw units from Vuhledar in order to save personnel and military equipment and take up a position for further operations,” posted the Khortytsia group of troops.

The unit said it inflicted heavy losses on Russian attackers but “there was a threat of encirclement”.

Soldiers from the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, also central in the defense of Vuhledar, said they were forced to escape by foot and likely sustained major losses.

Russia had repeatedly tried but failed to overrun Vuhledar, a coal mining town with around 14,000 residents, since March 2022 in the first weeks of Vladimir Putin’s invasion. In February 2023, another offensive collapsed when an armored column and an entire brigade of the elite 155th naval infantry were lost.

In October 2023, Russia renewed its offensive across the Donetsk region. Vuhledar is the second town to fall, following the surrender of Avdiivka in February. Both had been levelled and left in ruins — only 107 civilians remained in Vuhledar as of Tuesday.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that the situation was “very challenging”. He did not refer to the withdrawal yesterday. Instead, he posted about meetings with Ukrainian CEOs and with the Japanese Ambassador and the head of the US Agency for Independent Development, noted Jewish celebration for Rosh Hashanah — “This is what today’s prayers are about: restoring fair peace, justice, and normal life to all those who have been denied them” — and commented on the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine’s cvilians.