What makes New York and the nearby town of Dzerzhinsk so important is the fact that they shield the Konstantinovka-Adveyevka route used by the Kiev regime's forces to resupply their troops in the area, one of the Russian soldiers explained during an interview with Russian media.
Situated near the city of Gorlovka, New York has been turned into a veritable stronghold by the Ukrainian forces which, coupled with its strategic location, makes it a priority target for the Russian Army.
Also, New York is located on an elevation relative to Gorlovka, which allows Ukrainian forces to survey the city and coordinate artillery and HIMARS rocket strikes against it from the covered positions in Dzerzhinsk.
New York was founded by Mennonite settlers from Germany who were invited to the Russian Empire in 18th century by Empress Catherine the Great.
In 1951 the town was renamed Novgorodskoye amid worsening relations with the United States as the Cold War was in full swing (even though it wasn’t clear whether the town’s original name was a reference to the famous US city or the UK's York or any other York).
In 2021 the town was returned its original name as per the order from the powers that be (at the time) in Kiev.