There were multiple reports on Thursday that Russia was massing forces near the city of Kreminna for a large push to the west. Considering recent evidence that Russia has extended a salient 15 kilometers west of Kreminna to capture the village of Torske, that threat might seem serious. But I failed to even work it into the update yesterday.
The reason it was left out was that those reports of Russia capturing Torske were an exaggeration. So were reports that Ukrainian troops had been forced to abandon that settlement. The best information available is that Russian forces moved north of a highway to Kreminna and reached a treeline east of Torske on about July 6. Ukrainian artillery then hit these positions. Russia fell back. They haven’t come beyond that point since.
Fighting continues in this area, with Russia making more assaults toward Torske and Ukrainian artillery hitting back from positions on the other side of the narrow Zherebets River. The area east of the river, including the center of Torske, is currently a “gray zone” as Russia continues to press. That’s not because Russia is there, but because Russia keeps making assaults.
However, this is hardly the “turn of the tide!” or “end of the counteroffensive!” that Russian sources are reporting in ecstasy. It’s just one of several areas this week where Russia has made big claims in an effort to change public perception of what’s happening in Ukraine.