Commander of Donbas battalion reveals details of defence of Chasiv Yar refractory plant

Lieutenant Colonel Mykola Shevchuk, Commander of the Donbas battalion of the 18th Sloviansk Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, has said that during the defence of the refractory plant in Chasiv Yar, Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian troops captured about 20 Russian soldiers, among them a citizen of Nepal.

Source: Lieutenant Colonel Mykola "Skif" Shevchuk in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda

Details: Shevchuk said that the fighters from the Donbas battalion held the refractory plant in Chasiv Yar from October 2024 to February 2025.

The Russians bombarded and stormed Ukrainian defenders on the territory of the plant around the clock. The largest number of attacks per day reached 40. A single position of 4 to 5 Ukrainian defenders was attacked by 12–20 Russians, with 2 to 3 such large-scale assaults happening per day.

Quote: "In February, we finally withdrew from the plant. Under such conditions, the boys managed to capture about 20 prisoners. One of them was a citizen of Nepal. A career Nepalese soldier with more than 15 years of experience. He said he had recently moved to the UAE where he found a Russian recruiter to whom he paid US$3,000 to be accepted into the Russian army."

Photo provided by the Donbas battalion

Photo provided by the Donbas battalion

For reference: The Donbas battalion has been deployed in Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast for almost a year and a half, since 10 April 2024.

The unit’s fighters began defending the refractory plant in October 2024. The plant’s territory served as a strong defensive position for Ukraine’s forces. After losing it, Ukrainian defenders had to retreat and take up positions in residential areas damaged by shelling.

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