The Russian army approached Wuhledar at the beginning of a full-sized invasion in 2022, but the "cursed fortress" - as Russian propaganda called it the key city - did not get into the hands of the enemy. The change in the situation in favour of the Russian forces resulted in large scale usage of air bombs. Within a fewer weeks they managed to occupy the territories west and east of Wuhledar, and since the end of September the town was partially surrounded, which left the Ukrainian army only 1 road - north.
