The fall of Vuhledar is a microcosm of Ukraine’s wartime predicament
Ukrainian military officials and lawmakers say the front-line town of Vuhledar has fallen after more than two years of intense fighting. The town, which is nestled on top of a tactically significant hill, is unlikely to change the course of Ukraine’s war against Russia’s invasion. But it’s a loss that underscores Kyiv’s worsening battlefield position. Vuhledar, a town Ukrainian forces fought tooth and nail to keep for two years, is the latest urban settlement to fall to the Russians. It follows a vicious summer campaign along the eastern front that saw Kyiv cede several thousand square kilometers (miles) of territory.