Russian troops have seized a large stockpile of NATO-supplied weapons and ammunition in the Donbass stronghold of Ugledar after driving Ukrainian forces out of the town, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.
Ugledar, which is located in the southern sector of the front around 50km from Donetsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), was liberated by Russian forces earlier this week. The town, which has been the scene of fierce fighting since August 2022, is heavily fortified and sits on a hill, with many high-rise concrete buildings in the area, allowing for fire control of the surrounding terrain.
In a statement on Saturday, the ministry said Russian forces took over the town after conducting a pincer maneuver. Officials said, citing frontline troops, that the Ukrainians “resisted to the end,” hiding in mines and basements from barrages of artillery. However, facing inevitable encirclement, they abandoned the town, and over 40 Ukrainian troops surrendered.
The ministry added that the Russian forces captured “considerable trophies” in the liberated town, including abandoned NATO-standard ammunitions and weapons: Polish-made silent mortars, Turkish- and American-made automatic grenade launchers, small arms, and other equipment.
Ugledar was captured as Russia continues offensive operations in Donbass after taking control of dozens of towns in recent months. The Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday that its forces liberated the village of Zhelannoye-2, around 25km west of Donetsk and not far from Zhelannoye-1, which was captured in late August.