Russia's Defense Ministry claimed on Oct. 29 that its forces had captured the town of Selydove in Donetsk Oblast, which lies close to the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk.
Ukraine has not commented on the claims.
Observers and the Ukrainian military have warned of an increasingly difficult situation in the town as Russian forces have been pushing forward over the past few weeks.
While Kyiv did not confirm whether Russia captured the town, an expert told the Kyiv Independent that Selydove is effectively "lost."
"There can be some Ukrainians in the western parts, but the city is basically lost," said Emil Kastehelmi, a military expert and open-source intelligence (OSINT) analyst at the Finland-based Black Bird Group.
"That's the biggest city to fall after Avdiivka in the winter. And it fell in a couple of weeks or so. So it was a quick, quick move."
The Ukrainian military said on Oct. 29 that it had repelled 11 Russian attacks in the Pokrovsk sector, including near Selydove.
The town's fall would spell dire news for Pokrovsk, which lies only around 18 kilometers (11 miles) northwest. Russian forces have been inching toward Pokrovsk for the past couple of months, with their push in Donetsk Oblast recently gaining a long-unseen pace.
Selydove was home to around 21,000 people before the full-scale invasion in 2022. Russia's offensive, accompanied by artillery barrages and heavy aerial bombardment, has driven thousands of civilians from their homes.
Chris York
