14.Toretsk lies some 35 kilometers (20 miles) north of occupied Donetsk. The town has become one of the hottest spots in Donetsk Oblast in recent months as Russian troops continue advancing in Ukraine's east."Now the town looks more like a desert planet: there are no shelters for civilians or soldiers, and unfortunately, this allows the enemy to occupy new areas, but on scorched earth," Bobovnikova said.The crowdsourced monitoring website DeepState reported on Oct. 15 that Russian troops have advanced in Toretsk over the past day.The estimated advance of Russian forces in Toretsk as of Oct. 14, 2024, according to DeepState. (DeepState/OpenStreetMaps)Speaking on national television, Bobovnikova said that Russian soldiers change their military uniforms for civilian clothes to move toward Ukrainian positions, a tactic they use in other embattled settlements as well.According to local authorities, Kyiv controlled roughly 40-50% of the town as of Oct.