Frontline report: Ukraine’s Serebrianka forest ambush wipes out Russian assault groups before battle even starts

Today, there is important news from the Lyman direction, where Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts meet.

Ukrainian drone operators dominate the forest

Here, the Russians started using old Ukrainian supply routes in the Serebryanski forest, lying next to Luhansk Oblast's Serebrianka, to move troops for their next move. However, as Ukrainians held these positions for months, their drone operators knew exactly where to strike, tracking all their movements, and unleashing devastating fire on the enemy frontline and forces moving into position.

As you remember, Ukrainians withdrew in one go from the Serebryanskyi forest, as Russians had taken their handful of viable logistics routes through the trees under fire control with drones. However, this gave Ukrainians the brilliant idea and opportunity to turn the tables around on the Russians, as they knew exactly which paths were viable and where the Russians would be moving.

Poor fortifications and overcrowded positions

In one geolocated video, a Ukrainian FPV fiber-optic drone tracked a Russian UAZ Patriot near Kreminna, deep behind the frontline, and destroyed it with a precise hit, eliminating the officer inside. A second drone confirmed the kill, showcasing how the layered Ukrainian drone operation works. In another case, soldiers of the 63rd Brigade tracked the movement of supply trucks instead, following them to a camouflaged Russian drone control point hidden in the forest. A strike destroyed not only the position but also the Russian drone operators inside, as well as their nearby ammunition depot.

Each of these incidents illustrates how the predictable use of the limited old Ukrainian supply routes has made Russian forces vulnerable, easy to find, and easy to destroy. The lack of defensive infrastructure compounds Russia’s problems, as Ukrainians had not dug new trenches as they withdrew in one go, leaving Russians with large areas without dugouts, tunnels, or proper fortifications. This left even less space for Russians to store supplies and equipment, which were now all concentrated on several larger routes through the forest.

Russian troops moving in now must make do with foxholes and improvised shelters, which offer little protection against artillery and none against drones attacking from above. In one video, overcrowding forced Russian soldiers to leave their weapons and ammunition outside a dugout. A Ukrainian drone operator spotted the stash and, with only four munitions dropped, destroyed the dugout and its armaments in a clean strike. Poor sheltering options, combined with limited space, turn each Russian attempt to consolidate positions into a fresh disaster.

Yampil stands firm under Ukrainian control

This dynamic is bleeding the Russians before they can even engage in a real battle for Yampil. After taking one bigger trench fortification at the end of the forest across the village, Russian commanders hoped to use it to advance more easily. On the contrary, this has made their attempts even more predictable than they already were, with every step forward turned into a death march for their assault groups. A video from Ukraine’s 81st Airmobile Brigade shows two surviving Russians, the last of an assault group, who briefly hid in a basement after their comrades were eliminated on the approach. Ukrainian drone operators targeted their hideout, forcing them into the open, where Ukrainian infantry shot them down on an open road like at a shooting range. Ukrainian troops report that similar attempts repeat daily, as Russian commanders keep sending small groups into Yampil, but almost none survive.

Ukrainian drone surveillance monitors every movement, destroying infiltrators before they gather strength, which buys critical time for the defense of the settlement. Ukrainian fighters highlight that without the drones, their overstretched defenses would be under far greater pressure. Instead, Yampil remains under Ukrainian control, with Russian assaults collapsing before they can establish any foothold.

Forest turned from weakness into advantage

Overall, by abandoning the forest in one go instead of in a drawn-out battle while on the back foot, the Ukrainians forced Russia into using the very routes that once threatened them, turning what was once a liability into an advantage.

Now they have effectively become kill zones for Ukrainian surveillance and firepower, with Russian assault groups being shredded by drones before they can mass. The Serebryanski forest has turned into a trap, and is currently far from being Russia’s staging ground for deeper breakthroughs. Meanwhile, the settlement of Yampil is being held firm by Ukrainians, and remains a stronghold that makes every Russian step a costly one. In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.