Several dozen Ukrainian troops have surrendered in the Donbass city of Ugledar, which was captured earlier this week, the Russian Defense Ministry has said.
In a statement on Friday, the ministry said that as many as 83 Ukrainian troops surrendered across the front line over the past week, without providing details on the circumstances. Officials added that 44 surrendered during the “mop-up operation” in Ugledar.
The heavily fortified town in the southern sector of the front was a linchpin of Ukrainian defenses in the area, with fighting raging there since August 2022. Ugledar also sits on a hill and consists almost entirely of high-rise concrete buildings, allowing for fire control of the surrounding terrain.
On Wednesday, TASS reported, citing sources, that some Ukrainian units in Ugledar suffered “huge losses” after failing to get out of the town in time.
On Thursday, the Defense Ministry confirmed that the city was captured, later saying that Russian forces have generally taken “more advantageous” positions in that sector of the front.