Today, there is a lot of news from the Sumy direction. Here, Ukrainian forces in the sector have seized the initiative, moving from a defensive posture to a broad counteroffensive that is steadily reshaping the frontline. The momentum shift is allowing Ukrainian units to dictate the pace of battle, breaking down Russian cohesion and allowing elite enemy forces to be encircled.

Ukrainian advances near villages

Recently, Ukrainian forces started successfully advancing near:

• Kindrativka
• Andriivka
• Oleksiivka
• Yablunivka
• Yunakivka

They have been supported by a series of air strikes against Russian concentrations of forces and effective disruption of enemy reinforcement attempts, with the Russians trying to cross a local lake being targeted by drones.

Russian defensive failures

A Russian military analyst embedded with Russian forces in this sector reported that Russians are suffering from glaring issues with defensive cohesion:

• Fire coordination is ineffective against Ukrainian assaults.
• Requested reinforcements often never arrive.
• Counterattacks are delayed by several days.

Ukrainian commanders are exploiting these weaknesses with precision, forcing Russians into a defensive posture they cannot maintain.

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Close-range battle in the forest

Geolocated footage shows Ukrainian special forces approach a Russian position in the forest at close range, offering seven enemy soldiers the opportunity to surrender. They refused and were eliminated in the ensuing firefight, and while clearing the area, inaccurate Russian mortar fire only came down after the Russian soldiers were already eliminated, wounding one soldier who was quickly evacuated and survived his wounds. Enemy documents, weapons, and other equipment were seized, further allowing Ukrainians to take advantage of the collapse of Russian military organization.

Encirclement at Sadky

Nowhere was this more evident than at Sadky, where Ukrainian forces managed to encircle elements of the 51st VDV Brigade, a supposedly elite airborne formation that should not be prone to such breakdowns. Sadky itself remains under Ukrainian control, but reports indicate that Russian soldiers have been trapped and eliminated in the nearby forest spanning 15 square kilometers.

Structural Russian weaknesses

These events are not an isolated failure, but a symptom of a deeper, structural problem within the Russian military in the area. Russia’s operational mindset, long focused on continuous offensives, appears to have eroded its ability to mount an effective defense. In pursuit of gains during the summer offensive, Russian commanders committed vast reserves of armor and manpower, leaving little left to plug gaps when momentum stalled.

Exhausted Russian infantry

The fighting in Kursk was particularly costly: armored vehicles were destroyed in huge numbers, forcing Russia to rely on infantry, motorcycles, and small assault teams. Now in Sumy, most Russian soldiers move on foot, taking them days to reach the frontline, and they can’t respond effectively when Ukrainians attack.

Additionally, North Korean troops were annihilated by Ukrainian cluster munitions 200 soldiers at a time, and the Russian infantry that remains is exhausted, making the Russian Sumy front thinly manned and dangerously vulnerable.

Reinforcements from 810th Naval Infantry Brigade

Faced with this unfolding crisis, Russian command has attempted to reinforce the sector with a battalion from the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade, tasked with stabilizing Kindrativka. Yet this solution may only compound the problem, as this Russian brigade suffered devastating losses during the Kursk battles and is now believed to be operating at only 35 to 45% of its nominal combat strength.

Rather than deploying a cohesive, intact battalion, the likely reality is a composite force cobbled together from remnants of different units, a halfhearted measure that further undermines cohesion and interoperability. While these reinforcements may slow Ukrainian advances temporarily, they lack the depth and organization to mount a meaningful defense.

Strategic outlook

Overall, in Sumy Oblast, the narrative has shifted entirely, and what began as a Ukrainian defensive effort has evolved into offensive momentum that is dismantling Russian positions piece by piece. For Russia, the situation is a bitter reversal, as it was just weeks ago that President Vladimir Putin himself issued aggressive statements about pushing into Sumy and even threatening the regional capital.

Without fresh reserves or a radical change in operational approach, Russia is poised to lose even more ground and with it, any lingering credibility in its ability to threaten the city of Sumy again. Ukrainian defensive plans not only absorbed the initial Russian pressure but have now turned the tide, enabling methodical counterattacks that are pushing Russian forces back across the sector.

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.

Today, the biggest news comes from the southern Russian flank. Russian forces were put on high alert because Armenia and Azerbaijan, enemies through decades of war, are now preparing to sign a peace deal that could transform their contested border into a joint lifeline for security. This sudden alignment is not born of friendship, but of the shared enemy that Russia has become.

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Washington meeting lays groundwork for peace

Recently, the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia met in Washington, where they signed a preliminary agreement that could serve as the foundation for a final peace deal. The memorandum outlines:

• Mutual recognition of sovereignty
• Renunciation of territorial claims
• Demilitarization of the border
• Creation of the Zangezur Corridor, linking Azerbaijan to its exclave through Armenia

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The Zangezur corridor: a strategic game-changer

The Zangezur Corridor will remain under Armenian sovereignty but be operated by a US-led private military company. This arrangement oversees energy lines and road networks, combining infrastructure development with third-party security.

For both nations, this signals the most substantive break from decades of hostility since the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict began.

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Decades of conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought bitterly since the collapse of the Soviet Union, with two wars and recurring clashes costing tens of thousands of lives.

• The conflict centered on control of an Armenian-majority enclave in Azerbaijan.
• After victories in 2020 and 2023, Azerbaijan ended Armenia’s military presence, dissolving the enclave and reclaiming all territories.

This new peace deal effectively closes the chapter on the territorial dispute.

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Armenia’s pivot away from Russia

For Armenia, the agreement marks a dramatic shift away from failed Russian security guarantees. Once reliant on Moscow through the CSTO and Russian troops in Gyumri, Armenia watched Russia remain passive during conflicts in 2020 and 2023.

Armenia fears both a “Syrian scenario”, where foreign forces exploit Russia’s weakness, and a “Georgian scenario”, where Russian troops seize control. By anchoring a US-managed corridor, Armenia secures deterrence and Western economic interest.

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Azerbaijan’s strategic insulation from Moscow

Azerbaijan also sees the deal as liberation from Moscow’s interference. Russian actions—such as the missile strike on its embassy in Kyiv and the downing of Azerbaijani aircraft—have deepened mistrust.

With the Zangezur Corridor under US oversight, Azerbaijan gains:

• Direct link to Türkiye and allies
• Strategic insulation from Russian troops
• Predictable transit revenues and trade integration

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US-led corridor as de facto peacekeeping force

The private military company managing the corridor could serve as a peacekeeping mechanism, embedding economic and security guarantees.

Any disruption would harm both countries’ economies and Western interests, creating a mutual incentive for stability.

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A new balance of power in the South Caucasus

This is more than a symbolic handshake. The peace deal is a strategic realignment that:

• Resolves a decades-old dispute
• Weakens Russia’s influence in the region
• Anchors Armenia and Azerbaijan closer to the West

If finalized, it could reshape the balance of power in the South Caucasus in ways Moscow can no longer afford to control.

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.

Today, the biggest news comes from Belarus. President Alexander Lukashenko has openly warned his population to prepare for war, with new brigades being mobilized on the border and the groundwork being laid for rapid mobilization.

In his television address, Lukashenko told Belarusians to prepare for war and difficult times ahead, pushing through legal amendments that would allow martial law and authorize full-scale mobilization far more easily.

New brigades and military mobilization

Concrete moves on the ground are matching this warning. Belarus is forming a new full special operations brigade in Homel, within striking distance of Ukraine’s northern flank.

The brigade is set to receive Russia’s new Oreshnik ballistic missiles alongside advanced air defense and reconnaissance systems, supplementing existing Iskander launchers. This gives Belarus long-range and even nuclear strike capabilities.

Possible invasion scenarios

If Belarus enters the conflict, two main scenarios are in play:

• Northern Front Invasion: A direct push into western Ukraine to sever land supply routes from Poland and NATO states, cutting off Western arms and isolating Ukrainian forces in the east.
• Chernihiv Offensive: A renewed attempt along the 60-kilometer highway to Chernihiv, which Russia tried and failed to take in 2022. Belarusian reinforcements could increase pressure on stretched Ukrainian forces.

Northern Ukraine’s forested terrain would favor Belarusian special forces, making the new brigade a looming warning sign.

Suwalki gap and NATO risks

The second daring scenario is an operation toward the Suwalki Gap, the narrow stretch of land between Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.

Capturing or threatening this corridor would connect Russian and Belarusian forces, splitting NATO’s eastern flank in two.

Notably, a Russian reconnaissance drone recently violated Lithuanian airspace over Vilnius before crashing in a Lithuanian army training ground—suggesting surveillance of NATO infrastructure.

Zapad 2025 military exercises

These potential escalations coincide with the upcoming Zapad 2025 drills between Russia and Belarus, scheduled for September.

Previous Zapad exercises were used to disguise preparations for real operations—most notably in 2021, which set the stage for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine one month later. Reports already show troop redeployments to training areas that could double as staging grounds.

NATO’s response

The West is taking notice. Germany has redeployed Eurofighter jets to Poland, stationing them east of Warsaw to reinforce NATO’s air policing mission.

Officials emphasize this is a defensive move in direct response to the Zapad drills, meant to strengthen deterrence without escalating to full-scale deployment.

The most serious escalation in years

Overall, Belarus’s preparations mark the most serious escalation on Ukraine’s northern border in over two years.

With Lukashenko’s rhetoric, new nuclear-capable systems, and sweeping legal changes, Minsk is setting the stage for open participation in the war. Whether aiming to cut Ukraine’s western lifelines or challenge NATO directly, the attack could come suddenly and with the element of surprise.

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.

Day 1271

On 17 August, the biggest news comes from the Pokrovsk direction.

The Azov army corps has taken up full operational control over stabilizing the Russian breakthrough at Pokrovsk. With the situation reaching critical levels and threatening to overturn a year of Ukraine’s fortification work, Azov and its battalions are immediately getting to work on smashing the Russian salient back across the river.

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As Russians took Ukrainians by surprise, they broke through 18 kilometers deep behind the Ukrainian front line and penetrated through Ukraine’s new Donbas defense line while it was unmanned. However, as the reality of the situation got through to the Ukrainian high command, they acted quickly and redeployed Ukraine’s 1^st national guard army corps, led by the famed Azov brigade at its head. The Russian salient is deep but narrow, enough so that it could be pincered, cut off from reinforcements, and destroyed if the Azov corps was up to the task.

The recently redeployed forces immediately got to work, as the first step was to prevent the Russians from expanding their salient, allowing them to entrench and threaten Ukrainian logistics further on an operational scale. Open source military analysts show that the 1^st Da Vinci assault regiment attacked the Russian breakthrough head-on, and during the first day of clashes, they were able to blunt the spearhead and push the Russians back to Zolotyi Kolodiaz. Recent reports from various Russian, Ukrainian, and Western military analysts now show that they conducted a follow-up operation the next day, and pushed Russians out of the settlement and are overrunning Russian positions up to 4 kilometers below; recapturing the New Donbas Defense line in the process.

Further south along the thin Russian salient, elements of the Azov brigade launched rapid counterattacks on the Russians’ left flank, as the 93^rd mechanized brigade assaulted the Russians from the east. Satellite data shows numerous impact craters of Russian aviation glide bombs all over both sides of the salient, the locations of which indicate the Ukrainian attack was very successful and resulted in the capture of Kutuzivka, with prominent Russian and Ukrainian sources noting Ukrainians have fully encircled the Russians in two separate pockets.

Possibly realizing their goals were becoming too ambitious, Russians attempted an offshoot maneuver between Rodynske and Bilytske, hoping to at least achieve an operational encirclement of Pokrovsk as their larger breakthrough was faltering.

However, Azov quickly responded to this maneuver as well, rapidly cutting off the Russian axis of advance and eliminating dozens of Russian soldiers.

Command of the Azov units reports that in the past several days of fighting, the 1^st Army Corps has eliminated 271 Russian soldiers, wounded over 101, and has taken 13 Russian men as prisoners of war. Geolocated combat footage shows Ukrainian drones dropping grenades on Russian soldiers in fields and captured Ukrainian-made fortifications, fiber optic FPV’s eliminating Russians in houses and around the settlements, and four young Russian men having been taken prisoner after immediately surrendering to Ukrainian forces once the counterattacks commenced.

Notably, while Russians have crossed the Kazenyi Torets River, they did not take control of any major river crossings or a particularly wide base to transfer manpower and logistics over. Therefore, Russian sources report that Ukraine’s highly mobile drone detachments have now focused their fire on the base of the Russian salient at the river.

Russian analysts note they have completely lost control over this area, as Ukrainians have now officially and effectively cut off the Russian breakthrough through drone fire control, without having to expend any manpower to conduct a physical counterattack. Notably, Ukrainians were then able to physically move into Nykanorivka and Nove Sakhove, with the rest of the area being returned to the grey zone and under tight Ukrainian drone control.

Overall, Ukrainians have curbed the immediate threat of the Russian Dobropillia breakthrough and completed the encirclement of an estimated 800 Russian soldiers, hundreds of whom have already been eliminated in the fighting of the past few days. The Azov army corps’ decisive actions have been highly successful, blunting the Russian spearhead, pushing Russian forces away from critical supply lines, dismantling additional attempts to branch out, encircling Russians in several pockets with little cover to hide, and most importantly, clearing Russians out of the New Donbas Defense line; eliminating the operational-level threat posed by the Russian salient only days earlier.

Now, Ukrainians are poised to finish the job, to completely destroy what remains of the already brutalized Russian soldiers.

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.

Today, the biggest news comes from Azerbaijan, where a sudden escalation shattered regional stability as Russian airstrikes targeted and destroyed key Azerbaijani state oil infrastructure in Ukraine. In response, Türkiye signaled its readiness to deploy forces to Azerbaijan, setting the stage for a large-scale rebalancing of power in the South Caucasus.

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Calls for permanent Turkish troop presence in Azerbaijan

In Azerbaijan, calls are growing for Turkish troops to serve as permanent peacekeepers and security guarantors against any future Russian move. The idea gained momentum after an Azerbaijani journalist asked President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when the Turkish Army would come to Azerbaijan, noting that without it, there is always the risk of a new Russian occupation.

Azerbaijanis argue that Turkish soldiers are the ultimate deterrent to Moscow, as Russia continues moving additional troops toward the Azerbaijani border and reinforcing its bases in Armenia, despite Armenian protests.

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Türkiye’s military footprint already expanding

Turkish special forces and advisors already rotate through Azerbaijani units, and the private military company Sadat has an established presence. But the current push is for a permanent, full-scale Turkish military presence in Azerbaijan.

By shaping public debate in both countries, Ankara is testing the waters for permanent deployment — a move that would complicate any Russian military action in the Caucasus.

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Azerbaijan breaks with Soviet military systems

At the same time, Azerbaijan is breaking with Soviet traditions. President Ilham Aliyev has ordered a full switch from Russia’s military coordinate grid system to the US-developed World Geodetic System (WGS), the NATO standard.

This removes one of the last major Russian frameworks still embedded in Azerbaijani defense planning. By adopting it, Azerbaijan can now ensure seamless interoperability with Turkish and allied forces, sharing targeting data and reconnaissance instantly without conversion delays.

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Strategic signal: Preparing for potential conflict with Russia

The technical shift carries a clear strategic signal: Azerbaijan is aligning its military infrastructure with the West, removing dependency on Russian systems in wartime.

This strengthens the case for permanent Turkish troop deployments, ensuring both forces could operate jointly from day one.

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Russia strikes SOCAR facilities in Ukraine

The sharpest warning came after Russian missile and drone strikes destroyed facilities of SOCAR, Azerbaijan’s state oil company, in Ukraine.

In response, Baku threatened to go beyond humanitarian and defensive support — raising the possibility of sending weapons directly to Ukraine.

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Azerbaijan’s potential arms supplies to Ukraine

Notably, the Baku-based Avia-Agregat plant began producing 122mm and 155mm artillery shells in 2022, using Turkish and Bulgarian production lines. These are exactly the munitions Ukraine urgently needs.

If Baku scales up deliveries, it would mark a geopolitical turning point: a former Russian ally openly arming Ukraine, signaling Moscow’s deepening isolation.

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Russia’s provocations risk backfiring

By striking SOCAR assets, Russia risks provoking a stronger Azerbaijani military role in Ukraine, one that Baku could pursue without fear if Turkish peacekeepers are deployed in the region.

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From energy strikes to strategic realignment

What began as targeted strikes on energy facilities is now feeding into a broader realignment:

• Azerbaijan seeks Turkish troop deployments.
• It is embedding NATO systems into its military.
• And it is considering weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

Each step directly counters Moscow’s provocations and further isolates Russia.

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Conclusion: A risky gamble for the Kremlin

The irony is clear: by hitting SOCAR in Ukraine, Russia may have accelerated trends already underway, turning Azerbaijan into an active security partner for both Türkiye and Ukraine.

In trying to punish Baku, the Kremlin could instead push it firmly into the opposing camp, with consequences far beyond the oil sector.

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.

Today, there is dangerous news from the Pokrovsk direction. Here, the Russians pushed their breakthrough on the eastern flank in a surprise direction, putting the new Ukrainian Donbas defense line to the northwest in critical danger before it could be manned. With the gap already exploited by the enemy, the Ukrainian command now has a brief window to fix the situation by redeploying its most lethal unit, the Azov Brigade.

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Shift from Avdiivka playbook

After the initial Russian push on the eastern flank, the expectation was that Russian forces would try to repeat their Avdiivka playbook, encircling Pokrovsk from the east through a slow tightening of the flanks. Instead, Russian commanders made a sharper and bolder move, as they identified a thinly held section of the Ukrainian line to the north and rushed it before proper defense and coordination could be established.

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Threat to newly built Donbas defense line

The push was aimed not only at threatening Pokrovsk but also at undermining the newly constructed Donbas defense line, a layered system of trenches, fortified points, and natural barriers designed to slow attackers until drone operators and mobile reserves could respond.

Over several days, Russian forces advanced between Shakhove and Dobropillia, using infiltration tactics to seize or contest multiple settlements. Russian troops used the tree lines to infiltrate the settlements, where they began building up forces. They pushed into several of them, making gains and breaking through at almost 13 kilometers deep in around 3 to 4 days. Alarmingly, they then pressed forward and bypassed the newly built heavy fortifications with ease while they were unmanned, threatening to turn these strongpoints against Ukrainian defenders.

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Russians press toward strategic highway

Now, they are attempting to entrench near Novovodiane, pressing toward the Dobropillia–Kramatorsk highway. This advance was in part made possible by a breakdown in Ukrainian coordination. Although the Armed Forces have largely overcome past issues with communication and transparency, in this most critical sector of the frontline the old weakness resurfaced.

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Breakdown in Ukrainian coordination

Commanders from one brigade reported to higher headquarters that the situation was under control, claiming that all enemy forces had been neutralized, even as soldiers on the ground urgently reported ongoing Russian infiltration and force buildup. A shortage of manpower meant that even well-prepared defensive positions were left under-defended, while the integrated response, combining drones, artillery, and aviation, failed to be deployed with the speed and cohesion required to stop the enemy advance.

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Russian disinformation and recon failures

Government-linked Russian analysts publicly downplayed the gains, calling them reconnaissance and infiltration operations, not a breakthrough, further playing into the Ukrainian underestimation of the Russian threat. But in reality, once the gap was found, the Russian command sent actual assault forces, not just small sabotage teams. This also reveals a failure of Ukrainian reconnaissance and intelligence, as if drone surveillance here had been sufficiently layered and constant, such movements would likely have been detected and targeted long before they reached such dangerous depth.

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Azov brigade redeployed to Pokrovsk

The urgency of the situation is underscored by a public letter from a prominent Azov Brigade commander to President Zelenskyy. He warned that once the Russians take control of Ukraine’s defensive structures, removing them will be close to impossible. The only viable response is an immediate pincer maneuver to cut off the spearhead from reinforcement, followed by a clearing operation.

Yet such a counterattack is risky, as the Russian command almost certainly anticipates it and may be setting a trap. Still, the alternative of letting the Russians dig in further could be far worse, so timing will decide everything. A swift, coordinated counteroffensive while the Russians are still consolidating could succeed, but hesitation would all but guarantee long-term loss of the area.

As a result of the danger, the Azov Brigade has now been redeployed to the Pokrovsk sector, indicating the Ukrainian high command’s intent to act decisively, as the stakes extend far beyond Pokrovsk.

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Strategic and political stakes

The Russian gains threaten not just the town but the broader Donbas defense line and multiple settlements in the Ukrainian-controlled part of Donetsk Oblast. If unhindered, this penetration could unravel months of fortification work and open the way for deeper Russian advances.

The timing is also politically charged, as the breakthrough comes just days before the announced Putin–Trump meeting in Alaska, adding haste to Ukraine’s need to stabilize the front.

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Decisive days ahead

Overall, by moving one of the most experienced and feared formations into the sector of Pokrovsk, Ukraine recognizes both the danger and the need to correct earlier mistakes and failures. The coming days will be decisive, as if Ukrainian forces can seal off and destroy the Russian spearhead, they will not only save Pokrovsk but also preserve the integrity of the Donbas defense system.

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.

Today, there are interesting updates from the Pokrovsk direction, Donetsk Oblast.

Here, the Russian command is increasing the use of suicide squads to try to infiltrate Pokrovsk and reach its outskirts. With the Ukrainian defense on high alert, 80% of the Russians are destroyed even before reaching the town, with deceived migrants and forcibly mobilized Ukrainian separatists being thrown into the meat grinder as cannon fodder and acceptable casualties.

Russian forces recently attempted one of their most ambitious infiltration missions yet to penetrate Pokrovsk from the south. Using Pishchane as a forward base, the Russian command formed three tactical groups of 50 men each, tasked with sabotage inside the city. Their goal was to sow panic behind the frontline and force Ukrainian units to abandon positions, as has happened in other settlements along the front.

The infiltration route took 14 days in total: four to reach Pishchane’s industrial zone used as a launch point, and another ten to creep towards the main streets in southern Pokrovsk. Moving roughly 600 meters per day to avoid detection, they relied on drone drops for food, water, and communication updates. 

Despite careful coordination, camouflage ponchos, and preloaded route trackers, Ukrainian drones intercepted and eliminated most of the saboteurs, as of the original 150 infiltrators, around 120 were killed before even reaching their objectives as confirmed by geolocated footage. 

The remainder were hunted down inside the city, with Ukrainian units releasing more footage of how some of the Russians surrendered, while others were eliminated in close combat.

The cost to Russia was staggering, as the operation incurred roughly 80% casualties just to reach Pokrovsk, not counting those later captured or killed after arrival. While a handful of infiltrators ambushed Ukrainian units, the mission failed to achieve its operational aim. 

The Ukrainian Defense Forces not only retained control but also captured dozens of enemy troops. Fighters of Ukraine’s 425th Skala Separate Assault Regiment took 32 prisoners over a week of clearing operations alone. Video evidence from the town shows Russian infiltrators being cleared from buildings and hiding spots, their weapons seized as trophies.

Yet such attritional losses have not dissuaded Russian commanders. On the eastern flank of Pokrovsk, where fighting is intensifying, Moscow is preparing more expendable suicide squads. An entire brigade here is being staffed with deceived migrants from Central Asia and Donetsk People’s Republic volunteers, most of whom are forcibly mobilized men from Russian-controlled Donetsk. 

These units, poorly trained and often unwilling, are tasked with advancing toward Pokrovsk’s eastern outskirts to overwhelm defenses through sheer numbers. Since 2014, many DNR formations have been filled with marginalized individuals and criminals, commanded by Russian officers. 

Now, this volatile mix is being hurled into the bloodiest sector of the front with minimal expectation of survival, with these migrants and separatists being seen as expendable by Russian command.

The brutality extends up the chain of command, as reports from Russian military analysts indicate that separatist officers who question orders or show reluctance to sacrifice their men in large numbers often simply disappear. 

Two battalion commanders in the so-called DNR’s 5th Brigade went missing in five days after being summoned by superiors. In one case, the wife of a vanished commander was told he had run away, but no further contact has been made. Such disappearances serve as a warning: obedience is enforced through fear, and dissent is erased without a trace.

Overall, despite the chaos these infiltration attempts cause for the defenders, the general picture in Pokrovsk remains in Ukraine’s favor. The destruction of the southern sabotage groups, combined with the capture of surviving infiltrators, shows that the Russian command is gambling everything for even minor symbolic gains in Pokrovsk.

With success rates near zero, and casualty rates between 80 and 100%, these operations are less about achieving breakthroughs and more about demonstrating activity to higher political leadership. Ukrainian forces remain on high alert, aware that similar infiltration patterns are now being tested from the east. 

For now, Pokrovsk holds, but the Russians appear willing to keep feeding cannon fodder into the grinder in a desperate bid to change that, regardless of the human cost.

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.

Today, there are important updates from the Pokrovsk direction. Here, on the eastern flank, the Russian forces conducted a massive push to cut off Ukrainian supply lines to Pokrovsk and starve out the defenders. However, Russians quickly got stuck in fortifications that guard the back of the Ukrainian defense line, with intense close-quarters battles breaking out.

Russia shifts focus to encircle Pokrovsk from the east

In the latest adjustment of their summer offensive, Russian forces are now concentrating their efforts on encircling Pokrovsk from the east. Despite being initially promising, the failed encirclement efforts from the west and unsuccessful infiltration attempts from the south were both successfully pushed back by Ukrainian defenders.

Ukrainians stall momentum but face new pressure on the eastern flank

Ukrainians improved their tactical standing, stalling further enemy momentum, which changed Russia’s strategy toward targeting logistics on the western flank. However, the same cannot be said for the eastern flank. After making headway there, Russian forces rapidly shifted their focus to this sector, capitalizing on their momentum to push deeper and reach the strategically vital settlement of Rodynske.

Rodynske emerges as a strategic target

Their objective is now clear: cut supply lines, threaten Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad from behind, and force the Ukrainian defense into a semi-encircled position. Rodynske has emerged as a focal point in Russia’s operational plan due to its position directly behind Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, which allows it to serve as a logistical and tactical keystone for both towns. Capturing it would open a dangerous axis of advance from the rear, collapsing supply routes and placing additional pressure on Ukrainian units holding the line.

Russian reinforcements and urban warfare in Rodynske

Recognizing this, Russian commanders are pouring reinforcements into the area, prioritizing the capture of the dense urban environment of Rodynske, which would offer both protection for troop concentrations and ideal conditions for the launch of drone operations. If secured, Russian drone teams positioned in Rodynske could launch strikes with ease across a 15 to 25 kilometer radius, hitting key Ukrainian staging areas and logistical hubs.

Threat to Hryshyne and high ground control

If we look at the topographic map, we can see that the immediate threat could easily extend west toward Hryshyne, which sits in a lowland and would be vulnerable to attack. Additionally, this would allow the Russians to gain access to the same high ground that Pokrovsk is sitting on and would open up attack routes directly from behind.

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Fierce battles on the eastern approaches

For now, however, the main Russian effort remains squarely focused on breaking Ukrainian resistance in Rodynske. The fierce battle for the settlement has already begun, with high-intensity engagements playing out on its eastern approaches. Geolocated combat footage paints a clear picture of the fighting, as in one clip, a Ukrainian marine fires an AT-4 grenade launcher at point-blank range into an underground cellar where Russian soldiers had holed up in. After the explosion had opened up the underground area, a Vampire hexacopter was then able to drop a heavy mine from above, obliterating the Russian position.

Drone strikes and close-quarters combat

Elsewhere, the Starfall unit of the 14th Operational Brigade of Ukraine’s National Guard is shown operating east of Rodynske, targeting Russian troops hiding near a mine with drone-dropped explosives to stop their advance.

More particularly brutal GoPro footage captures two Ukrainian soldiers responding to signs of an enemy presence. Calm and calculated, they discover two Russian assault troops hiding in a cellar. Speaking fluent Russian, the Ukrainians momentarily confuse the intruders before eliminating them with grenades tossed inside. The same team later clears a nearby house, eliminates the Russian soldiers inside, and seizes a captured assault rifle.

Pokrovsk remains the hottest frontline sector

Overall, Pokrovsk remains the hottest section of the frontline and the focal point of Russia’s summer campaign. The Russians are determined to establish a foothold in the paved neighborhoods before the fall rains make any approach on soft ground impossible, and their pivot to the east has already yielded dangerous momentum.

Rodynske’s defense could decide the fate of Pokrovsk

Yet this shift is now being met with fierce Ukrainian resistance centered on Rodynske, quickly growing to be of extreme importance. Its defense is about protecting the entire Pokrovsk–Myrnohrad sector from collapse, as if Rodynske falls, the door to encirclement opens. For now, however, Ukrainian forces are holding, fighting from house to house, and striking back with every tool available. The battle is far from over, but the outcome in Rodynske may well decide the fate of Pokrovsk.

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.

Today, there are a lot of updates regarding the Russian Navy. 

Recently, it’s been a bad few days for the Russian Navy, as the Ukrainian campaign has been reinforced by nature and even the Russians’ own incompetence. 

Spanning from the Black Sea and St. Petersburg to the Far East, Russian naval power and projection is falling apart at the seams.

Russia officially scraps Admiral Kuznetsov after years of failed repairs

The biggest news is that after years of repairs and accidents, Russians officially lost their last aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov. The massive ship has now been decommissioned and is to be scrapped for parts. 

The main reason for this is that the ship spent most of its service life in port and under repairs, and the ability of the Russian military to maintain an expensive and very vulnerable aircraft carrier has disappeared. Western naval analysts joke that when the boat was not on fire, the massive smoke plume from its diesel exhaust made it seem like it was.

Most notably, the aircraft that make up its air wings are no longer in production, and due to the ramp on the flight deck putting too high a strain on the front gears, if the weight was too high, their fuel load and therefore operational range were already largely limited.

The list of incidents during its service is also long, with a few notable examples being the approximately 300,000 ton oil spill onto the Irish coast, five of its jets crashing into the ocean during operations as the arresting wires kept snapping, or they simply ran out of fuel, and several crew members dying because of the water filtration system’s failure during its maiden voyage. 

Kamchatka earthquake devastates Russian Pacific submarine bases

The bad days continue, as one of the largest earthquakes in recent history caused a tsunami to sweep along Russia’s far eastern shores.

Recently released satellite footage shows extensive damage to Russia’s two main naval bases here, one of which houses a large part of Russia’s nuclear submarine fleet, with the submarines visibly missing from the photos and possibly under repair.

Additionally, the Russian Academy of Sciences reports that the southern part of Kamchatka shifted two whole meters to the southeast as a result of the earthquake, causing speculations of much larger damage to Russian naval facilities not visible from satellite footage.

Ukraine obtains classified plans for Russia’s newest nuclear submarine

Russia’s nuclear submarine fleet then took another hit, as Ukrainian military intelligence revealed it had obtained a full set of classified documents and schematics on Russia’s newest strategic nuclear submarine, the Project 955 Aborey class. 

They released some of them online and stated that the classified documents include information about the submarine’s survivability systems, which entered service just over three weeks ago.

Ukrainian military intelligence also made a statement, saying they had already identified several weak points in the Russian sub right before Zelenskyy authorized a new series of covert operations. The details of which remain unknown. 

Single Ukrainian drone forces Russia to cancel Navy Day celebrations

Lastly, during Navy Day, celebrating the temporary existence and history of Russia’s fleets,

as well as its specialized naval infantry units currently fighting in Ukraine. Russian warships from all four Russian fleets were scheduled to hold a parade and gun salutes through the harbor of St. Petersburg, as well as air shows and ground troops conducting displays on land.

However, the parade and all its surrounding events were canceled due to safety concerns, as a single Ukrainian Liutyi drone was spotted flying over Leningrad Oblast.

As there were no reports of any confirmed hits, Ukrainians likely simply decided to fly a drone in the general vicinity and let Russia cancel the parade themselves, unable to intercept a possible threat from the skies.

Russian naval decline accelerates across Pacific and Baltic theaters

Overall, the loss of their only carrier is significant, as these types of ships allow a navy to exert strong military influence and capabilities on a global scale.

Extensive damage to its military bases and possibly also vessels on the Pacific coast results in a serious deterioration of both its regional influence and strategic deterrence capabilities. 

Ukraine having found weaknesses in the new Russian submarine’s defenses through classified documents and the news of additional covert operations being in the works only exacerbates this effect. 

With Russia’s global dominance already increasingly deteriorating, and parades meant to counteract this trend are being called off, this is another strong hit to Russian military geopolitical relevance, as more pressure is shifted onto the already strained Russian ground-based assets.

 

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.

Today, there are interesting updates from the Russian federation. 

Here, Ukraine continued its own version of sanctions by successfully hitting Russia’s main Central Asian gas pipeline. This puts not only Russia’s influence in Asia under threat but also stops the work of some of its most important military factories due to the lack of resources.

In a bold escalation of its long-range strike campaign, Ukraine has struck one of the most critical arteries of Russia’s gas infrastructure, the Central Asia Center pipeline. Explosions rocked the Volgograd region, knocking the pipeline out of service and forcing an indefinite shutdown. 

This strategic attack, confirmed by Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, not only disrupted the gas transit but also directly affected energy supplies to multiple key military-industrial facilities across Russia, dependent on energy plants that fully receive their gas from this pipeline. 

Among those impacted are the Demikhovsky Machine-Building Plant, MiG Aircraft Corporation, and the Magnum-K ammunition factory, central players in Russia’s war machine. Local emergency crews rushed to the site as Gazprom, the pipeline operator, initiated damage assessments and repairs, halting gas flow across the region.

The Central Asia Center pipeline is a 4,000 kilometer-long linchpin in Russia’s gas export network, designed to transport gas from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan to Russia and vice versa. This pipeline is a geopolitical leverage as it enables Russia to exert influence over Central Asian energy while simultaneously channeling gas toward its own industrial needs. 

It is an important tool to keep the energy networks of Russia and the Central Asian countries interlinked and interdependent. With the Nord Stream pipelines now crippled by sabotage and geopolitical isolation, and the Power of Siberia pipeline to China bearing the full hope of Russia’s Asian gas strategy, the Central Asia Center pipeline became an even more vital fallback.

Striking it isn’t just symbolic but strategic, as Ukraine has targeted a highly vulnerable and deeply exposed piece of infrastructure. All Russian pipelines span vast, often remote terrain with limited protection, making them soft but critical targets. If Ukraine decides to repeat such attacks or target the Power of Siberia pipeline as well, the ramifications for Russia could be immense. 

Constant disruption of the lines due to the easy repetition of the strikes would undermine Russia’s ability to pivot away from lost European markets, weaken its hold on Central Asian energy dependencies, and slash billions from its energy revenue. Repeated strikes could also create logistical nightmares, reduce supply reliability, and destroy investor confidence, key levers in Russia’s geopolitical influence. As a result, Moscow would be hard-pressed to maintain energy flows even for domestic needs, let alone sustain the illusion of dominance in the global energy market.

The pressure is already prompting signs of panic in the Russian government. Reports suggest Russia may be considering a limited air ceasefire by halting drone and missile strikes in hopes of reducing the tempo of Ukrainian retaliation. 

The last month alone has seen several dozen successful Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries and depots, air defense systems, railway logistics, and factories deep in Russian territory. 

With drones hitting Sochi, Ryazan, Samara, and now a strategic gas pipeline, Russia’s rear is on fire, both literally and figuratively. A temporary air truce would give Moscow the breathing room it desperately needs to regroup and reinforce, but few in Ukraine are ready to fall for this trap.

Ukrainian officials and analysts understand such a ceasefire would only pause Russia’s terror campaign, giving it time to replenish stockpiles and come back later to strike even harder. It’s a tactical ploy, and Ukraine has no reason to trust it.

Overall, the attack on the Central Asia Center pipeline marks a turning point in Ukraine’s long-range strategy. With one strike, Kyiv has exposed a critical vulnerability in Russia’s energy empire and opened the door for further precision sabotage. 

As Western sanctions grind on slowly and often without immediate impact, Ukraine is delivering its own version – swift, targeted, and devastatingly effective. Each drone strike against energy and military infrastructure does more than destroy machinery, it shatters the myth of Russian invulnerability. If Ukraine continues on this path, it may not only cripple Russia’s battlefield logistics but also bring its broader war economy to a breaking point.

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.

Today, there are interesting updates from the Russian alliance. Here, India, a key member of the Russian BRICS alliance, surrendered to the threat of devastating US sanctions and is about to cut economic ties with Russia. The danger of a heavy economic hit had an immediate effect, putting another nail in the coffin of what was advertised by the Russians to be an alliance that would dominate world politics and economics.

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Trump slaps 25% tariff, warns of 100% hike

India has dramatically folded under US economic pressure, triggered by the US imposing a 25% tariff on Indian goods over New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil and military equipment. US President Donald Trump also threatened with additional penalties over this continued practice by India and mentioned that the tariffs could rise to 100% if necessary.

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US trade leverage hits India’s strategic plans

The US’s announcement severely impacted India’s strategic planning, given that the United States remains India’s largest trade partner, accounting for roughly 18% of its exports, with bilateral trade totaling $186 billion in 2024 and 2025. With a $41 billion trade surplus and significant service-sector revenues at stake, India’s margins risked severe erosion if the proposed tariffs materialized.

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Indian refineries stop buying Russian oil overnight

Facing the clear and immediate danger of substantial economic harm, Indian state refineries swiftly ceased all purchases of Russian crude oil. Prior to Trump’s ultimatum, India imported roughly 87.4 million tons of Russian oil annually, forming about 35% of its total crude imports, worth approximately $50.2 billion. This sudden reversal is a strategic blow to Russia, as Indian refiners—especially state-run enterprises controlling more than 60% of India’s 5.2 million barrels-per-day refining capacity—were major buyers of Russian oil.

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India switches to Middle East and West African oil

Indian companies like Indian Oil and Bharat Petroleum have shifted to immediate delivery markets, rapidly replacing Russian crude primarily with Middle Eastern varieties from Abu Dhabi and West Africa at an impressively quick rate. India’s abrupt reversal significantly undermines Russia’s economic position; following Europe’s embargo on Russian energy, India emerged as Russia’s single largest oil importer, acquiring around 1.8 million barrels per day at its peak. Bilateral trade between India and Russia had surged to over $65 billion in 2024, mostly fueled by oil and fertilizer sales.

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BRICS vision falters as US economic power prevails

Now, with India withdrawing from major Russian oil deals, Moscow faces an imminent crisis as they must rapidly seek alternative markets. Otherwise, Russia would have to deal with selling now large unsold stockpiles through steep discounts, creating an even more severe budget deficit, already expected to reach over $100 billion by the end of the year, and further undermine its already strained wartime economy.

Ironically, India’s announcement arrived just hours after a bold statement by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who publicly mocked Trump’s threats, confidently dismissing concerns over US tariffs. Trump had earlier mocked Russia and India as “dead economies”, declaring indifference toward their economic fates and directly warning Medvedev against further provocations. The swift Indian capitulation underlines a broader geopolitical implication: despite Moscow’s ambitious claims about the rise of a BRICS-led order, the reality remains starkly different.

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.

Today, as Russian authorities were trying to repair the damage to oil refineries from previous Ukrainian attacks, the Ukrainians dealt them another devastating blow. By starting a new wave of strikes with long-range drones, the Ukrainian army targeted Russian oil production facilities to disrupt this key enemy source of income. Ukrainian forces have reignited their strategic campaign against Russia’s oil infrastructure, resuming targeted drone strikes on critical refineries after a calculated pause.

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Kyiv strikes just as Russia finishes costly repairs

After concentrating on disabling Russian air defenses and radars in the past month, Ukrainian military leaders patiently allowed Russia to begin costly restoration efforts at previously damaged facilities. Once Russian repair crews and specialized equipment were fully engaged, Ukrainian drones decisively struck again, inflicting severe economic and logistical damage while simultaneously eroding Russia’s internal narrative of security.

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Liutyi drones set Samara’s Novokuybyshevsk refinery ablaze

In Samara Oblast, Ukrainian long-range Liutyi drones successfully attacked the Novokuybyshevsk Petrochemical Company, one of Russia’s largest oil-processing plants. Drone strikes severely damaged the facility’s primary oil refining unit, critical for crude purification and fractioning processes into gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and fuel oil. Videos confirm large-scale fires burning uncontrollably for hours, forcing authorities to shut down Samara airport and restrict mobile internet access to control information leaks. The Novokuybyshevsk refinery alone represents a daily capacity of over 177,000 barrels—almost 5% of Russia’s national refining capability.

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Ryazan refinery hit, fuel lifeline to bomber base severed

In a similar attack, Ukrainian drones struck the Ryazan refinery, number 3 in Russia’s largest oil refineries, processing 340,000 barrels daily. This refinery produces 840,000 tons of aviation kerosene annually, nearly 9% of Russia’s total output, a vital resource for Russian air operations. It is situated next to—and directly supplies—the Dyagilevo strategic bomber airbase, from where Russian bombers target Ukrainian cities and military bases deep behind combat lines. Footage captured massive fires and explosions, contradicting official Russian claims of minor damage.

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Russian air defenses crack under pressure, Sochi hit

Such strikes significantly degrade Russia’s capability to sustain air operations, directly benefiting Ukrainian defense efforts. Russia’s strained air defenses, already weakened by relentless Ukrainian targeting, are becoming increasingly ineffective, forcing Moscow to deploy outdated systems and rush production of air defense missiles, causing more defects. Such desperation recently resulted in a friendly fire incident near Sochi, where a Russian missile intended for a Ukrainian drone veered toward urban areas, causing civilian casualties.

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Southern fuel depots in flames after precision drone strikes

Meanwhile, Ukrainian drone strikes inflicted serious damage on oil storage depots in Sochi and Adler, igniting tanks at Lukoil and Rosneft facilities. Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev confirmed deployment of over 120 firefighters to control the blaze at a major depot storing 2,000 cubic meters of fuel. Yet, local authorities responded by attempting to identify and punish residents who shared visual evidence of the successful strikes online.

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Kstovo and Volgograd refineries burn in renewed attacks

Additionally, Ukraine hit the refinery in Kstovo near Nizhny Novgorod, an already damaged facility previously targeted in January. The renewed strike represents Ukraine’s tactic of exploiting Russian vulnerabilities after costly restoration efforts. Another drone attack sparked a large fire at an oil facility in Volgograd, underscoring Ukraine’s renewed campaign against Russian oil infrastructure.

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Repeat-strike tactics drain Russia’s war resources

The strategic secret behind Ukraine’s approach lies in carefully timed repetition strikes. Allowing Russians to rebuild and re-staff targeted refineries before striking again magnifies economic damage and drains resources. The psychological impact on Russian society is equally devastating, publicly demonstrating the Kremlin’s inability to secure vital assets. This persistent vulnerability undermines the government’s image, dismantles official assurances of safety, and weakens public morale.

Overall, these coordinated drone assaults degrade Russia’s military capacity, cut critical fuel supplies, and limit oil export revenues used to fund the war.

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.

Day 1260 On 6 August, there is interesting news from the Lyman direction. Here, the Russians decided to attack from another vector and break the Ukrainian deadlock near Torske but were surprised by the latest Ukrainian innovation in drone warfare. By mounting RPG’s on drones, the Ukrainians found a way to make their air assaults even deadlier.

Near Lyman, the Ukrainian 63rd Mechanized Brigade remains firmly in control, effectively anchoring the defense at Torske through innovative defensive measures combined with preventive attacks against advancing Russian forces. This Ukrainian formation not only maintains entrenched positions but also proactively disrupts enemy movements, refusing to allow the Russians a chance to stabilize their positions. A striking footage captures two Ukrainian infantrymen clearing a forest near a settlement, encountering Russian troops hiding in a dugout. After intense close-range combat with grenades and gunfire, the cornered Russians chose to surrender and were taken prisoners of war.

Facing staggering casualties, the Russians recognized the danger of continuing frontal assaults against the fiercely defended Ukrainian positions around Torske. As a result, they attempted a new tactic, intensifying operations southwards across the Zherebets River, hoping to outflank and encircle the Ukrainians from behind. However, previous Russian vulnerabilities remain unchanged: troops must cross exposed terrain under constant Ukrainian drone surveillance, FPV drone strikes, and precise artillery fire. Every movement makes them easily spottable targets that the Ukrainians engage without hesitation.

Aware of their limited infantry numbers, Ukrainian forces increasingly implement the Drone Line initiative to neutralize Russian assault groups before they approach their defenses. Drone operators in this program receive points for eliminating priority targets such as infantry and enemy drone teams, which they can then exchange for large quantities of upgraded equipment, incentivizing aggressive hunting of Russian troops and dramatically boosting effectiveness. Numerous videos from the frontline near Torske illustrate this vividly, showing Russian infantry eliminated by precision grenade drops from Mavic and Vampire drones.

In addition, Ukrainians have recently begun employing RPG equipped drones to devastating effect. While traditional drone-dropped grenades are often spotted and engaged by the Russians, which forces operators into dive-bomb tactics that usually compromise accuracy, grenade-launcher drones offer a solution through stabilized aiming via a crosshair.

One notable video displays a Ukrainian operator identifying several Russian soldiers, firing a precise grenade launcher round from the drone, repositioning swiftly, and firing again from another angle to eliminate the survivors. Such innovations allow even single operators to decisively repel entire Russian assaults even when severely stretched infantry-wise.

Ukrainian soldiers praised the new technology by stating that, logically, a drone equipped with a grenade launcher can fly in, fire, turn around, and reload, making it highly effective. Ukrainian operators emphasized the key tactical advantage that grenade rounds arrive almost instantly, and the enemy can’t dodge them, which means more accurate hits. At the same time, it can strike from farther away and face fewer electronic warfare countermeasures. Another operator explained that infantry is used to drones hovering overhead to drop grenades, so they can time their movement around the drone’s range or shoot it down directly.

But if the drone instead starts shooting at them mid-flight, it drastically shortens the window of opportunity to move out of the way or shoot it down. Effectively, these new drones can disrupt each assault by forcing Russian troops to seek cover immediately upon hearing drone sounds, especially given modern grenade launchers’ variety of potent warheads that can be used, with armor-piercing, thermobaric, and even incendiary ones.

Overall, Ukrainian forces near Lyman continue to adapt rapidly, refining drone warfare tactics to overcome their limited infantry and decisively halt Russian advances. Russia’s attempted shift in strategy at Torske, seeking new vectors of attack, failed dramatically due to relentless Ukrainian drone strikes, precise grenade drops, and innovative grenade-launcher drones. These advanced tactics have not only stabilized the defense line but also ensured Russian offensives remain costly and ultimately ineffective.

‍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.

Day 1259

On 5 August, the biggest updates come from the Kherson direction.

Here, Ukrainian special forces executed a daring amphibious landing on one of Russia’s most exposed positions in Ukraine. Taking out patrols and destroying critical equipment, this raid has now opened the door to a wide variety of naval, aerial, and further special forces operations across the Black Sea and the Crimean peninsula.

Ukraine’s military intelligence service posted footage of how its operatives carried out a naval landing operation on the Tendrivska spit in eastern Kherson. Operatives moved across the Black Sea in rubber boats mounted with radars, electronic warfare systems, and machine guns, similar to boats used by Nato’s naval special forces teams.  Landing on the beaches, the groups quickly disembarked and moved inland past several unmanned Russian coastal fortifications and bunkers. The groups then waited for the cover of night, turned on their night vision goggles, and moved toward their targets.

Their mission: destroying a Russian Rosa radar system and the Zont electronic warfare station protecting it. As they moved toward the targets, they even launched FPV drones to feed live intelligence to the assault groups, and strike any Russian target too dangerous to engage head-on. Before heading back after the successful destruction, they planted the Ukrainian flag on the position, and left a final message for the Russians in the morning: Glory to Ukraine.

The raid was not a detached victory, but a necessary operation that serves a larger strategic purpose. The Tendrivska spit’s topographical setting allows Russians to position radars and electronic warfare equipment that can cover a wide area over the Black Sea as far as possible. Specifically, this allows Russians to detect and disrupt Ukrainian naval and aerial drone strikes, forcing Ukrainians to avoid the coast and creating a more narrow pocket for other Russian air defense assets to monitor.

However, these emplacements are incredibly vulnerable; as they are only connected to the mainland through narrow strips of land, or not at all, forcing Russians to use boats to supply these exposed outposts.

Ukrainians exploited this masterfully, and in the weeks leading up to the operation, they increasingly targeted these outposts, using FPV drones to strike buildings Russians used as barracks situated along the route the assault group would later take.

Ukrainians also used a Bayraktar drone to destroy Russian boats resupplying the outposts and rotating the troops stationed there.

However, Russians didn’t suspect a thing; they understood that these outposts were vulnerable, and likely wrote these events off as acceptable casualties to hold such exposed positions. Notably, Ukrainians likely conducted a second raid on the small settlement of Pokrovske on the Kinburn further north, with another Ukrainian flag appearing raised above the settlement early in the morning.

The disruption of these outposts mean only one thing: Ukrainians are planning an intensification of their operations along this axis. As mentioned previously, one of the operations could be a targeted strike operation against Russian assets in Crimea, with many air defense systems, radars, logistics, and command posts highly likely targets. Notably, such a threat doesn’t even have to be from Ukrainian missiles, as naval drones could now more stealthily pass along the coastline and simply launch waves of FPV drones into the Russian-controlled peninsula.

In the past, the Ukrainian security service has released tons of videos showing such strikes, with strike drones and FPVs flying low, dodging Russian missiles, and taking out targets worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Alternatively, this amphibious special forces raid could be a part of the broader war in the Black Sea itself; with drilling platforms serving as makeshift castles from where either side can surveil the area, electronically disrupt equipment, lock down airspace with air defense missiles, or launch strikes from. Only recently Ukrainian naval special forces released new footage of a combined assault on one of these platforms, taking out the Russians defending it with FPV drones, and using the new position to fire missiles at Russian fighter jets.

Overall, Ukrainians executed a daring amphibious raid on several vulnerable Russian outposts, launching preparatory strikes for the operations while leaving Russians none the wiser. The successful outcomes of these missions have now opened the door for a wide range of follow-up operations, while Russians are left guessing as to what the next Ukrainian move will be.

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.

Day 1257

On 3 August, the biggest news comes from Eastern Europe.

Here, a Shahed-type drone flew directly into Lithuanian airspace and passed over the capital, marking a serious escalation in Russia’s aerial provocations against Nato’s eastern flank. Poland’s air force is already on a nightly high alert, and now the rest of the Baltics are joining in, raising what increasingly resembles an iron Curtain in the air.

Recently, a Russian Shahed-like drone crossed into Lithuanian airspace from Belarus and flew over the outskirts of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, close enough for civilians to see and film the device in flight. Initial fears suggested a live munition had entered Nato airspace, as Shaheds are often fitted with fragmentation, thermobaric, incendiary, or delayed-fuse warheads to cause maximum casualties and damage to civilian property.

Fortunately, upon further inspection of the video footage, the object was identified as a Gerbera decoy drone, a visually similar platform Russia uses for both reconnaissance and saturation purposes during their daily strikes on Ukrainian cities.

While unarmed, the drone crossed directly over a Nato capital, far from any logical flight path to Ukraine, making it clear that this was no accident.

Instead, it was a calculated decision to test Nato’s reaction time, radar coverage, and political tolerance for such direct aerial threats and provocations, and critically, Lithuanian forces did not intercept.

Poland, meanwhile, has entered a state of routine high alert, with Polish and Nato forces scrambling jets and raising radar systems every time Russia launches a large-scale assault on Ukraine, which happens every night and now often even during the day as well. Nato partners, including Swedish Gripens, are now joining Poland in maintaining a high alert status during Russia’s large-scale drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, reinforcing joint readiness across the eastern flank. While these alerts are precautionary, they have become the new norm, as the Polish border lies directly behind the approach paths of Russian missiles and drones targeting western Ukrainian cities. This proximity means any technical malfunction or mid-course deviation could result in a direct violation of Polish airspace, as seen in previous incidents, including when debris from Russian missiles entered Polish territory in 2022, or when a Ukrainian air defense missile landed on a Polish field, killing two farmers.

Unlike the calculated provocation over Vilnius, Poland faces a more constant strain of nightly threats, scrambling fighters, activating radar grids, and maintaining alert in civilian areas without knowing whether each launch might cause military objects to cross into its airspace. Across the Baltics, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have long depended on Nato’s Baltic Air Policing mission, with Hungary, Italy, and Spain being part of the current rotation, maintaining quick-reaction alert status and integrated into Nato’s broader air defense system.

However, the unchallenged drone over Vilnius shows the limits of deterrence alone, and Lithuania is now accelerating the deployments of Ukrainian-developed acoustic drone detection systems, seeking to fill gaps in its early warning networks exposed by the most recent airspace violation.

At the same time, the Baltic states are reinforcing their readiness for both air-to-air and ground-to-air engagements by expanding joint training protocols, adapting quick-reaction procedures, and integrating new detection systems designed to counter the threat of low-flying unmanned platforms.

And across all three states, radar tracking, jamming incidents logs, and drone incursions are now analyzed with a single assumption: that any aerial anomaly could be the opening in a broader conflict. The emerging posture is no longer passive monitoring; with new drone detection systems, joint alert protocols, and revised civilian flight corridors, it is becoming forward-leaning, reinforced, and increasingly closed, an Iron Curtain in the air.

Overall, Russia’s latest airspace violations are increasingly escalating and reshaping Nato’s eastern defenses through repeated, calculated provocations that expose gaps, test thresholds, and force reaction. The incursion over Vilnius is a template for how Moscow may continue to pressure Nato’s eastern flank, trying to provoke member states into triggering an open conflict. As Poland’s nightly alerts become routine and Baltic air defenses are forced to harden, the question is no longer whether Nato will respond, but how far that response will go, and as this pattern deepens, the skies over Eastern Europe are no longer a buffer, they are becoming the front line.

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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

Today, the biggest news comes from the Baltic region. NATO surveillance flights over Kaliningrad and live-fire drills in Estonia show that Europe is no longer treating the Russian exclave as a passive threat. Instead, Kaliningrad is being studied and tracked, while its neighbors quietly prepare for a worst-case scenario.

Recently, Germany’s military counterintelligence service reported that Russian espionage cases nearly doubled over the past year. Officials say Moscow’s operatives are using more aggressive cover strategies and entering Europe via third countries like Serbia and Türkiye to evade detection.

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Cyber strikes and political meddling hit Baltic states

At the same time, cyberattacks and political interference campaigns have surged across the Baltic states. In just the last month, Lithuania reported GPS spoofing on its commercial aircraft, Estonia flagged coordinated hacks on state infrastructure, and Russian-linked groups funded several political rallies in Latvia.

These are not isolated provocations. They mirror the early warning signs that preceded Russia’s invasions of Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in both 2014 and 2022. The pattern is familiar, and its central node is Kaliningrad. Nearly every signal-jamming incident, radar incursion, or drone probe in the region traces back to the Russian exclave, making it the catalyst for any new escalation.

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Why Kaliningrad is suddenly back in focus

That threat is not new, but its urgency is. Kaliningrad is a heavily militarized Russian enclave wedged between Poland and Lithuania, and has long served as a launchpad for threats against NATO. Home to Baltic Fleet warships, Iskander missile systems, and advanced air defense, it gives Moscow a constant forward presence inside EU territory.

During previous standoffs, Russia used Kaliningrad to simulate nuclear strikes, stage snap exercises, and threaten shipping routes in the Baltic Sea. But in recent months, it has also become a nerve center for hybrid operations, coordinating cyber-attacks, transmitting jamming signals, and testing NATO’s airspace readiness with frequent high flyovers.

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Kaliningrad turns into a battlefield node

In short, Kaliningrad is no longer just a base; it is a battlefield node already in use. Now Europe is pushing back. NATO AWACS surveillance aircraft have begun continuous flights over Poland and the Baltic Sea to monitor Kaliningrad’s military activity.

Meanwhile, Estonia has just held its first-ever live fire drills using US-supplied HIMARS, part of a six-unit acquisition aimed at boosting long-range strike capabilities. The exercises focused on targeting simulated hardened positions, such as fortified bunkers and missile launch pads, the exact type of assets concentrated in Kaliningrad.

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NATO expands long-range strike capabilities

Poland, which has received dozens of HIMARS systems from the US, is preparing similar capabilities. For frontline NATO members facing the brunt of Russian pressure, these drills serve a clear dual purpose: readiness for counterforce missions and visible deterrence against Kaliningrad’s offensive potential.

While no official scenario has been disclosed, these drills are being interpreted by analysts as a dry run for serious interdiction missions aimed at Russia: detecting, targeting, and disabling missile launch platforms inside the enclave.

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Border defenses tighten as NATO plans ahead

In parallel, Poland has expanded troop deployments near the border, and Lithuania is accelerating work on reinforced border barriers. If NATO were to actually confront Kaliningrad militarily, the opening move would likely be a coordinated cyber and electronic warfare push, aimed at blinding Russian communications and radar coverage.

This would be followed by continuous aerial reconnaissance through AWACS and high-altitude drones to confirm positions. Long-range precision strikes would then target key installations: Iskander launchers, air defense nodes, and Baltic Fleet command centers.

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A hypothetical battle plan sends a clear signal

HIMARS batteries in Estonia and Poland could disable fixed missile sites, while German and US aircraft execute follow-on suppression missions. Naval forces would blockade Kaliningrad’s key port at Baltiysk to prevent reinforcement. Meanwhile, NATO ground units, already repositioned near the Suwalki Gap, would be tasked with containing any attempted Russian breakout into Poland or Lithuania.

This is a hypothetical scenario, but it is now being actively rehearsed, with each exercise aligning more closely to an actual operational sequence. Overall, the Kaliningrad threat that Russia spent two decades cultivating may be turning against it. Europe is no longer treating the enclave as a static deterrent but as a live vulnerability that can be tracked, targeted, and potentially neutralized. For the Kremlin, this shift carries enormous risks: losing Kaliningrad would not only be a massive strategic blow but also a symbolic collapse of Russia’s forward posture in Europe. And for NATO, the message is clear: the era of passive containment is over.

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.

Today, there are important updates from the Pokrovsk direction. Here, Russian sabotage units slipped through a gap in Ukrainian defenses on the outskirts of Pokrovsk, taking control of buildings and launching ambushes on Ukrainian units passing by. However, Ukrainian rapid reaction forces responded immediately, clearing the infiltrators before Russia could exploit the breach.

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Infiltration from Zvirove fails despite temporary gaps

To the south of Pokrovsk, Russian sabotage and reconnaissance units managed to infiltrate the outskirts of the town through Zvirove, exploiting a momentary Ukrainian infantry shortage that created a large gap on the frontline. Leveraging local terrain such as the terrikon area, these infiltrators staged ambushes, targeting passing Ukrainian patrol vehicles, and dug themselves in in several houses throughout Pokrovsk.

However, the Ukrainian command responded swiftly by deploying rapid reaction units, urgently initiating clearance operations to neutralize the infiltrators and swiftly deal with this sudden threat. Nevertheless, small enemy groups continued their attempts at infiltration, primarily at night, aiming to secure positions within the town perimeter until reinforcements arrived.

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Ukrainian drones target infiltrators on key routes

To counteract these persistent threats, Ukrainian forces have intensified drone surveillance over key infiltration routes, with the 47th Separate Assault Brigade releasing footage showing drone strikes successfully neutralizing enemy infantry near Zvirove.

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Russians miss window for assault on Pokrovsk

Following this infiltration, the Russians appeared briefly poised for a direct assault on Pokrovsk, yet their reaction was curiously delayed. They were not ready to exploit the sudden break in the lines, causing them to miss the brief window of Ukrainian vulnerability. By the time Russian forces assembled for an organized push, Ukrainians had reorganized the defense, and they had to start from scratch with preliminary probing attacks.

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Motorbike raids and mechanized push destroyed

One such attempt involved an infantry assault group mounted on motorcycles departing from Shevchenko, but Ukrainian FPV drone operators swiftly detected and eliminated them before they could even leave their staging area.

Undeterred, Russian commanders attempted a mechanized assault, the first in months for this area, again originating near Shevchenko, employing three armored vehicles. Ukrainian artillery and drone teams swiftly responded, obliterating the advancing armor in open terrain, exploiting their vulnerability without cover.

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Desperate use of TOS-1 thermobaric system ends in destruction

The Russians were also desperate enough to move up a TOS-1 thermobaric artillery piece near the frontline, an immensely powerful artillery system, but suffering from a short range of under 4 kilometers, allowing Ukrainians to easily destroy such a powerful Russian asset.

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Ukrainian strikes cripple Russian logistics and command

A significant factor contributing to these disorganized and ineffective Russian attempts lies in Ukraine’s strategic operational targeting, which has severely disrupted Russian logistics and command structures. Ukrainian HIMARS missile strikes systematically target troop concentrations in and around Donetsk city, effectively thinning out Russian frontline manpower long before troops even deploy forward.

Such attacks drastically reduce Russian operational readiness and create logistical nightmares, leaving commanders scrambling to find soldiers for assaults.

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Precision strike decapitates Russia’s 8th Guards Army command

Further deepening Russian disarray, Ukrainian forces recently executed a devastating follow-up precision strike on the headquarters of Russia’s 8th Guards Combined Arms Army in Donetsk. As you remember from a previous report, the first successful strike took out the only Russian commander who made any real gains for Russia in the past year.

Now the second strike effectively decapitated the Russian local command by killing the newly appointed commander, along with more than 10 other high-ranking officers, including his potential successor.

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Battle for Pokrovsk intensifies

Ukrainian military officials confirmed these strikes aimed to cripple Russian command-and-control capabilities, with the new Russian commander being at the head of Russia’s most important offensive, who hasn’t planned it, and might not be qualified to lead 100,000 soldiers in a multidirectional offensive spanning from Velyka Novosilka to Pokrovsk. The latest Ukrainian attack also targeted the command post of Russia’s 20th Motorized Rifle Division, causing additional damage to the Russian command structures.

Overall, Russian forces did manage to identify a weak spot on Pokrovsk’s southwestern perimeter, briefly infiltrating it with sabotage units. However, rapid Ukrainian reactions combined with continuous drone coverage effectively neutralized these threats before Russia could capitalize on any gains. Although initial direct assault attempts were swiftly repelled, the battle for Pokrovsk has decisively begun and will likely intensify significantly.

Recognizing the massive Russian buildup in the region, over 100,000 troops strong, Ukrainian commanders have proactively targeted troop concentrations and command structures. These measures aim to disrupt Russian operational cohesion and decisively weakened their massive force deployment, laying the groundwork for continued successful defense that could break Russian forward momentum.

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.

Today, there are interesting updates from the Lyman direction. Here, the Russian frustration grows bigger with every day due to the lack of advances, shortage of supplies, and a disastrous kill-to-loss ratio.

This has forced Russian commanders to order even more desperate attacks with Russian soldiers being turned into unintentional suicide bombers by essentially carrying explosive vests with them during assaults.

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Relentless Russian assaults bring only casualties

In the Lyman direction, Russian forces have found themselves hopelessly stuck, unable to advance despite relentless infantry assaults. The repeated frontal attacks have become disastrously costly, leading to massive casualties at unprecedented rates. In addition, frontline Russian units are starved of supplies, making it impossible to sustain effective combat operations.

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Drones reveal Russian troops carrying mortar shells by hand

In multiple engagements, Ukrainian drone operators have observed Russian soldiers being sent forward carrying individual mortar rounds to deliver to mortar crews on their way to the front, a desperate measure indicating a total logistical breakdown and highlighting the grim conditions Russian troops face in this sector.

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Ukrainian drone crews crush Russian night assaults

Geolocated video evidence has extensively documented how Russian forces continually get bogged down in front of Ukrainian defenses, immobilized by dense minefields, carefully placed caltrops, and relentless drone strikes. Ukrainian drone operators from the 63rd Mechanized Brigade have become exceptionally proficient at hunting down and neutralizing isolated Russian assault groups at night with one crew eliminating 23 enemy soldiers in one night.

Whenever Russian troops manage to briefly occupy new positions, swift Ukrainian counterattacks and drone bombardments immediately push them back or eliminate them. This cycle of attrition leaves Russian infantry units trapped in a futile loop of unsuccessful and deadly assaults. This extreme frustration has led Russian commanders and soldiers to adopt increasingly desperate and reckless methods.

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Mine-carrying vests turn soldiers into suicide bombers

One striking phenomenon captured repeatedly in battlefield footage is the unintended emergence of kamikaze-like Russian soldiers. In a released video, a Russian soldier was running to assault Ukrainian positions with a grenade in his hand, but when Ukrainian troops met him with heavy fire, he began to retreat, fell on his grenade, and blew himself up.

Instead of reconsidering their reckless tactics, the Russian command doubled down on the idea. Soldiers were soon seen wearing specially designed vests meant to carry anti-tank mines, intended as a practical way to carry mines to the front, and quickly deploy explosives upon reaching Ukrainian positions, allowing troops to remain armed while carrying the mines.

However, these vests turned into deadly traps, as when these mine-carrying soldiers are hit by Ukrainian fire, their vests detonate, instantly killing the wearer and any comrades nearby. Though not intended as literal suicide vests, the practical outcome has ironically turned Russian soldiers into unintentional suicide bombers, grim evidence of the extreme desperation gripping the Russian frontlines.

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Russian war crime: Civilian shot dead in Torske

Beyond battlefield absurdity, this sense of desperation has manifested in horrific violence against Ukrainian civilians as well. Recent footage from the village of Torske captured Russian troops cruelly shooting a civilian riding a bicycle, a clear and disturbing war crime. While desperation offers context, it certainly provides no justification for such barbaric and needless violence.

Unfortunately, such incidents have been systematically documented across multiple sectors of the frontline, revealing a broader pattern of brutality and indiscipline among Russian forces.

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Ukrainians track and eliminate the killers

However, Ukrainian drone operators and artillery teams swiftly respond to such atrocities. After observing the killing of the civilian on his bicycle in Torske, Ukrainians methodically tracked down and eliminated the Russian soldiers responsible, delivering some measure of justice and demonstrating Ukraine’s resolve in protecting and defending their civilians’ lives.

Overall, such distressing examples highlight a deeply troubling trend driven by Russian desperation and logistical failure. The inability to adequately supply their forward-deployed troops has created the absurd situation of soldiers advancing while strapped with anti-tank mines, transforming themselves into explosive targets. Such grotesque improvisations underline how disconnected Russian commanders have become from battlefield realities, willing to grasp at even the most dangerous and ill-advised tactics simply to achieve some negligible progress.

More than half of the summer offensive season is already gone with virtually no progress achieved near Lyman, and none at all at Torske specifically. Now, Russian forces have resorted to self-defeating and absurd methods out of sheer frustration and desperation vividly demonstrating the catastrophic failure of their offensive ambitions.

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.