Ukrainian forces advance in Donetsk as Russian strikes kill dozens

Russian military forces are retreating from settlements in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, according to Al Jazeera. The Kremlin-aligned Telegram channel Rybar reported on October 7 that Moscow's forces were losing villages south of Lyman. Ukrainian forces are using these gains around Lyman to launch attacks east of Sloviansk, forcing Russian troops into defensive positions. [1]

A Ukrainian military counteroffensive named Operation Vivaldi has reclaimed 175 square kilometres, or 67 square miles, of previously occupied land around Lyman this year, Al Jazeera reported. The operation aims to disrupt Russian efforts to advance toward the fortress belt cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. [1]

While Ukraine gains ground, civilian casualties in the region have soared. Euronews reported that Russian strikes killed at least 35 people and injured 24 in Donetsk on Thursday. Regional governor Vadym Filashkin said 32 people died in Kramatorsk and three in Bilenke. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also announced strikes on major Russian oil refineries in Omsk and Ukhta, while four deaths were reported in Russia's Belgorod region. [2]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, a Russian attack on two passenger buses in Kramatorsk on Thursday morning prompted local authorities to suspend all public transport in the city. [14]

The conflict is part of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022, following years of fighting in the eastern Donbas region that started in 2014. [9][10][11]