ISW: Ukraine advances near Donetsk’s Kostiantynivka, Russia near Zaporizhzhia’s Huliaipole (MAPS)
ISW highlighted Russia’s growing reliance on exaggerated battlefield stories, including staged flag-raisings used to simulate progress.
Browsing Tag
Russian advances
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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.
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.
ISW: Russia deploys new offensive template using fog and terrain to advance on Huliaipole (MAP)
Tactic mirrors recent Velykomykhailivka operations where fog enabled Russian capture of nearby settlements.
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: Russia crosses Vovcha River in fog, breaks into Novopavlivka, highlighting “Ukraine’s need for traditional weapons systems” (MAP)
Russian troops built a pontoon bridge from Donetsk Oblast's Yalta to Dachne and crossed twice before Ukraine responded.
ISW: Russia masses nine brigades on a 41‑kilometer strip — Huliaipole axis in Zaporizhzhia Oblast faces major pressure (MAP)
Russian forces are pushing deeper toward Zaporizhzhia's Huliaipole and Dnipropetrovsk Oblast's Velykomykhailivka, using airstrikes and bad weather to blind Ukrainian drones.
Difficult Pokrovsk–Myrnohrad battles rage as both Ukrainian and Russian forces advance, ISW reports
Ukraine’s defenders fight to keep supply lines open while Moscow’s troops press from east and south.
Russia redeploys troops from southern Pokrovsk to expand its offensive toward Novopavlivka in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
OSINT data show Russia's entire 90th Tank Division, and elements of the 35th, 55th, 74th, and 137th Brigades now operating closer to Novopavlivka as fighting intensifies across the front.
Russia masses 90,000 troops near Lyman as both sides claim advances in contested sector
Russian offensive operations near Lyman have slowed since summer 2025, but drone and aerial strikes remain intense, a Ukrainian brigade non-commissioned officer reported.
ISW: Ukraine gains ground in Sumy and Donetsk. Russia pushes in Donetsk and Kharkiv. No axis breaks through
New geolocated footage shows fresh movements on multiple fronts, but without strategic impact.
ISW: Russia’s Dobropillia push isn’t an operational-level breakthrough — yet
Small tactical moves may lead to a major shift if Ukraine can’t hold the line.
ISW: Russia likely takes two villages near Kupiansk — now it’s eyeing the town’s lifeline highway
Russian troops may envelop the city from the west instead of attacking frontally, according to the ISW.
Russia tries “total infiltration” in Pokrovsk — Ukraine boosts fortifications inside the city, Syrskyi says
The top Ukrainian general says Russian attempts to slip inside were crushed fast.
ISW: Russia halts Kostiantynivka push—now Pokrovsk braces for encirclement threat
After weeks of stalled operations in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast, Russian forces are closing in on Pokrovsk from several axes.
ISW: Ukrainians advance near Borova and Velyka Novosilka, Russians in Vovchansk and near Pokrovsk and Novopavlivka
A Ukrainian brigade reports it destroyed a Russian platoon in the Lyman direction.