Russian forces said Tuesday they had captured the town of New York in eastern Ukraine, as Moscow — under pressure by a Kyiv counterattack on its territory — presses on with its full-scale invasion.
The Defense Ministry said its troops had captured "one of the largest settlements of the Toretsk agglomeration and the strategically important logistics hub [of] Novgorodskoye," referring to the town in Ukraine's Donetsk region by its former name.
The capture of New York, which had a population of around 10,000 before Moscow launched its invasion, is the latest in a string of Russian advances in the region. On Monday, Russia said it captured the town of Zalizne, close to New York.
Donetsk was one of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claimed to have annexed in 2022, despite not having full control over any of them. The region has seen the most intense combat of the two-and-a-half-year war.
Kyiv has struggled to hold the front line there, facing manpower and ammunition shortages after months of attritional fighting. Ukrainian authorities had hoped the incursion into the Kursk region could relieve pressure in other parts of the battlefield, but the Russian advance in Donetsk has continued.
New York first found itself on the front line in 2014, when Moscow-backed separatists in the east tried to break away from Kyiv.
The origin of the town's name is a mystery, with theories including possible American connections among its founders. It was renamed "Novgorodskoye" — New City — by Soviet authorities in 1951 for ideological reasons, before Ukrainian lawmakers voted to switch it back to New York in 2021.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
![paiment methods](https://static.themoscowtimes.com/img/contribute/payment_icons.png)
Remind me later.