Russia builds bridgehead toward heights around Dronivka could expose Ukraine’s flank to fire

Russian forces are massing daily in the Serebryansk Forest to storm the villages of Dronivka, Platonivka, and Zakitne. Ukraine's 81st Airmobile Brigade reported the buildup on 28 January.

The brigade's warning carries a grim subtext: Russian commanders seek to capture these villages and consolidate on dominant heights overlooking the Siverskyi Donets River corridor—terrain from which they could strike Ukrainian rear areas with artillery and drones. ISW reported in December that Russian forces aim to seize Dronivka "to establish a bridgehead to accumulate manpower and equipment to advance further to the heights near Zakitne and Platonivka." This is part of Russia's broader campaign to pressure Ukraine's "Fortress Belt" of strongholds.

Why the high ground matters

The 81st Brigade stated that Russia's objective in this sector is "control over the coastal territories of the Siverskyi Donets and consolidation on dominant heights."

"If successful, the enemy will be able to use its means of destruction in the rear areas of the Defense Forces of Ukraine," the brigade warned.

Ukrainian defenders are fighting a positional battle to prevent exactly that. Units of the 81st Brigade detect and engage Russian assets around the clock, with anti-aircraft crews destroying reconnaissance and strike drones that "constantly operate on the positions of our soldiers." This week, the brigade discovered and destroyed a camouflaged 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer hidden in the Serebryansk forestry.

Infiltration tactics under adverse conditions

Russian forces attack in small groups—often just two soldiers—slipping between Ukrainian positions. At night, they wear heat-resistant cloaks to evade thermal detection. By day, they exploit bad weather and camouflage robes to move unseen.

ISW reported on 15 January that Russian forces attacked Dronivka from multiple directions at once. A Ukrainian drone battalion commander told ArmyInform that his forces control all roads leading to Dronivka. That makes mechanized assaults costly.

The fall of Siversk in December after 41 months of fighting demonstrated what happens when defensive lines erode.