Russian forces have reportedly made advancements near eight settlements in Donetsk Oblast, as confirmed by the DeepState analytical project. These include Chasiv Yar, Toretsk, Yantarne, Novovasylivka, and the areas around Yelyzavetivka, Zelenyi, Zvirove, and Kotlyne. The push appears to be part of a larger strategy to bypass Pokrovsk from the south and west, effectively cutting off the Mezhova-Pokrovsk road, a key logistical route connecting Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to Ukrainian defensive positions in Pokrovsk.

The situation in Toretsk remains particularly dire, with fierce fighting dividing the city into two. Russian troops are employing scorched-earth tactics, targeting both Ukrainian military positions and civilian infrastructure. Meanwhile, in Pokrovsk, Russian forces are now within three kilometers of the town, and attacks on the city have intensified, according to Serhii Dobriak, Head of Pokrovsk City Military Administration.

Amid this, the Ukrainian military has been targeting Russian command posts in Donetsk Oblast. On 12 January, Ukrainian forces carried out a precision airstrike on the command post of Russia's 2nd Combined Arms Army in Novohrodivka. Earlier strikes on 8 and 10 January targeted the command posts of the 8th and 3rd Army Corps in occupied Khartsyzsk and Svitlodarsk, respectively. These operations aim to disrupt Russian logistics and battlefield command, hindering their offensive capabilities in western Donetsk Oblast.

In a separate development, South Korean intelligence reported that North Korean soldiers sent to support Russia have suffered heavy casualties in the conflict. At least 300 have been killed, and 2,700 wounded, attributed to their lack of familiarity with modern warfare, including ineffective tactics such as indiscriminately firing at drones. Two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk Oblast revealed further details. The soldiers, identified as members of North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau, reportedly faced orders to commit suicide to avoid capture. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated Ukraine is prepared to return these soldiers to North Korea through a prisoner exchange, although one of them expressed a desire to remain in Ukraine.

Elsewhere, the Polish Ministry for Foreign Affairs denied claims by Slovak MP Andrej Danko that Poland had closed its airspace to a Slovak delegation flying to Moscow. Poland clarified that the Slovak side had provided incomplete documentation for their flight, which led to a change in their planned route. This visit by Slovak MPs, led by far-right politician Danko, has drawn criticism from Ukraine, which views such actions as legitimizing Russian aggression.

Sources:

• DeepState
• Ukrainska Pravda