“He has literally just given order”: Russia doesn’t want Ukrainian land. Russia wants Ukraine erased, says expert
Putin orders buffer zone expansion into three Ukrainian regions.
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Donetsk Oblast
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Putin claims Russia seized Pokrovsk — ISW finds no sign of that (MAP)
The think tank's latest assessment says there is no evidence confirming the complete Russian seizure of Pokrovsk.
Frontline report: Ukrainian marines ambush Russian infiltrators in ruins of Myrnohrad — capture them alive
Fog and shattered buildings helped turn Russia’s high-stakes push into a quiet surrender on the town’s front line.
Frontline report: Ukraine clears Lyman’s forests with drones, snipers, and US fighters — Russians forced back to Yampil
Once a gray zone, the wooded belt near Lyman is becoming a trap where infiltrators are exposed and picked off.
Drones targeted Russia’s south overnight, oil refinery and heating facility were reportedly hit (MAP)
Explosions were also reported in the occupied Donetsk Oblast's Avdiivka and Debaltseve.
Russia’s Saratov refinery among key targets hit by drones last night, Ukrainian Army’s General Staff says (VIDEO, MAP)
Ukrainian UAVs reportedly also targeted air defense systems, drone hangars, and a command center at the Saky airfield in occupied Crimea.
African fighters with no documents flood Donetsk city with Cold War–era bunkers
"Everything is blurred and unclear."
No sign that Russia can quickly overrun remaining Donetsk territory, ISW reiterates
Russian troops have captured just two-thirds of Pokrovsk after nearly four months of combat, despite massive manpower investment.
Russia launches 24-hour infantry push on Myrnohrad as twin-city encirclement takes shape (MAP, VIDEO)
7th Air Assault Corps warns Russians advancing on Rivne and Svitle villages to complete encirclement.
ISW: Ukraine’s limited presence and counterattacks hinder Russia’s bid to take Pokrovsk
Ukrainian patrols were seen operating along key streets and highways in Pokrovsk, despite weeks of intensified Russian assaults.
ISW: Russia’s rate of advance “does not indicate that Russian forces will imminently seize the rest of Donetsk Oblast”
The Kremlin’s belief in inevitable victory ignores battlefield realities where major cities remain out of reach.
ISW: Russia tries to close Pokrovsk pocket — Ukraine still fighting inside city center (MAPS)
Moscow eyes a propaganda victory, but its sluggish pace shows how hard any further advances into Donetsk Oblast will be.
ISW: Russia overstates gains to pressure Kyiv and West to hand over Donetsk Oblast
Russian forces have not yet faced heavily fortified cities like Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, ISW notes.
Ukrainian “Skala” regiment storms back into Pokrovsk, clears railway station and city center (VIDEO)
Paratroopers block Russian reinforcement attempts around railway station, college, and central park.
From 2003 to 2022, Ukraine extracted kaolin sustainably—Russia exhausted entire quarry by 2025
Katerynivka quarry operated 22 years under Ukraine.
ISW: Trump’s reported peace plan is “fundamentally the same as Russia’s 2022 Istanbul demands”
The proposed deal would give Russia vital Ukrainian territory and allow it to conserve resources for future aggression, according to ISW.
ISW: Ukraine’s interdiction cripples Russian vehicle use and troop massing in Pokrovsk (MAP)
The 15–20 km “kill zone” in Pokrovsk poses a major threat to movement, complicating logistics. ISW, however, expects Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad to fall.
No clear goal in Pokrovsk — ISW says Russia trying to encircle and storm towns simultaneously
Ukrainian defenders now face glide bombs, southward incursions, and northwest flanking attempts — all at once.
ISW: Russian forces try to apply Pokrovsk-style tactics in Siversk and Lyman against Ukraine’s Fortress Belt
The Kremlin is using a mix of weather-aided raids, artillery-coordinated drones, and forward infiltration near key defense axes.
ISW: Russia can’t seal the east — so it tries to fix Ukrainian troops in Pokrovsk from the west (MAP)
Russian troops are clearing roads and exploiting fog to push vehicle-borne assaults deeper into the town.