In several oblasts, including Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, and Sumy, Russians targeted civilian homes and infrastructure with drones, bombs, artillery, and missiles.
The city's once-populated districts are deserted now. Most apartments are uninhabitable, and the streets are dangerously littered with burnt and damaged cars, while unexploded ordnance is scattered on the ground.
Desperation tactics revealed by the 117th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade show Russian command structure breaking down as troops are given the impossible choice between certain death in battle or execution for disobedience.
As Russian commanders scramble to salvage political victory from their failed Pokrovsk operation, Ukrainian forces have methodically dismantled what was meant to be a showcase encirclement campaign.
Three victims remain in serious condition after missiles hit Kryvyi Rih infrastructure, damaging 15 apartment buildings and numerous civilian facilities.
Despite Putin's claimed focus on four annexed regions, Russian forces show readiness to push deeper into Ukraine while exploiting gaps in air defense systems.
Meanwhile, the Danish intelligence says Russian disinformation campaign involving a forged diplomatic letter behind US President-elect Donald Trump's interest in purchasing Greenland.
: Russian forces abandon tank attacks for infantry tactics due to Ukrainian drone effectiveness, but the adaptation creates new challenges for Ukraine's stretched military resources.
Russian forces have dramatically escalated their drone and artillery operations in southern Ukraine, adopting small-group infiltration tactics that enable daily territorial gains despite heavy losses
As Russian forces continue their costly offensive operations in eastern Ukraine, military experts warn the war could expand into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast's open steppes, where drone warfare could prove decisive in determining territorial control.
There are still gaps in the defensive lines of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, particularly between Velyka Novosilka and Kurakhove, as well as between Kurakhove and Pokrovsk, hindering Ukraine's defense efforts.