Dmytro Zhmailo, a Ukrainian expert and the Executive Director of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation, says Kyiv troops managed to stop the first wave of the Russian offensive. Currently, Moscow is trying to fulfill its main objective — the complete capture of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, UNIAN reports.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed that Moscow plans to escalate military operations in eastern Ukraine within the next 60 days. Russia currently occupies about 20
Dmytro Zhmailo, a Ukrainian expert and the Executive Director of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation, says Kyiv troops managed to stop the first wave of the Russian offensive. Currently, Moscow is trying to fulfill its main objective — the complete capture of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, UNIAN reports.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed that Moscow plans to escalate military operations in eastern Ukraine within the next 60 days. Russia currently occupies about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, including most of Luhansk Oblast, two-thirds of Donetsk Oblast, and parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Oblasts. Moscow illegally declared the annexation of the four oblasts following sham referenda in late 2022, not fully controlling them.
He notes that the second wave of Russian forces’ so-called summer offensive has just been launched. Although the Russians have had some successes in certain areas, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were able to repel the first wave of the offensive.
Zhmailo explains that the main reason for Russia’s advance near the Kostiantynivka settlement in Donetsk Oblast is the large concentration of Moscow’s units. About 100,000 troops from the overall 700,000-strong Russian grouping are concentrated there. Currently, the Russians are receiving reinforcements for the start of the second wave of the offensive.
However, according to him, the battle for Kostiantynivka has not yet begun. The city’s administration and police are still operating, although there is an ongoing humanitarian crisis with issues in water and electricity supply. Ukrainian troops hold positions in Chasiv Yar and on the outskirts of Toretsk, holding back the Russian occupiers’ rapid advance.
Moscow troops are focusing their most significant efforts along the Pokrovsk–Kostiantynivka highway, trying to “breakthrough” villages to get closer to the city. In the northern part of the region, activity has increased in the Lyman direction, with the prospect of reaching Sviatohirsk and squeezing the non-occupied territories of Donetsk.
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South Korea’s intelligence service has revealed that North Korea is preparing to send its troops into Ukrainian territory to support Russian military operations, according to Reuters. The deployment may begin as early as July or August 2025, marking a major battlefield development in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.
Thousands of North Korean troops have been augmenting Moscow’s forces in Russia’s Kursk Oblast since 2024, fighting against Ukrainian troops and helping Russia dislodge them from mos
South Korea’s intelligence service has revealed that North Korea is preparing to send its troops into Ukrainian territory to support Russian military operations, according to Reuters. The deployment may begin as early as July or August 2025, marking a major battlefield development in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.
Thousands of North Korean troops have been augmenting Moscow’s forces in Russia’s Kursk Oblast since 2024, fighting against Ukrainian troops and helping Russia dislodge them from most of the once 1,000 km² of Ukraine-controlled territory in the oblast. Some reports have also pointed to a limited North Korean presence in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast, though those individuals were reportedly not frontline troops but officers studying battlefield experience and technicians servicing North Korean-supplied weapons.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on 26 June that while Ukrainian troops maintain a limited presence in Kursk Oblast, North Korean involvement has so far remained outside Ukrainian borders. New intelligence indicates that these foreign troops may soon cross into Ukraine itself—constituting a significant battlefield inflection. The shift would allow Russia to strengthen its ability to conduct simultaneous offensive operations.
South Korean lawmaker: Deployment expected by August
Reuters, citing South Korean member of parliament Lee Seong-kweun, reported that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) believes Pyongyang is preparing an additional deployment of forces into Russia and eventually Ukraine. Lee said,
“The timing of the additional deployment is that it could be as early as July or August,” following a new troop round-up by North Korea and a recent high-level Russian visit to Pyongyang.
The same NIS briefing revealed that North Korea continues to send artillery and missiles to Russia. In return, Moscow is believed to be providing technical support to Pyongyang for satellite launches and missile guidance systems.
Deployment seen as part of wider coordinated assault
The ISW assessed that this move may be designed to support Russia’s expanding large-scale offensive operations. According to the think tank, Russian forces are gradually advancing simultaneously in at least three major directions: Borova-Lyman (Kharkiv Oblast), Kostiantynivka, and Novopavlivka (Donetsk Oblast).
While in the past Moscow relied on staggered and more localized attacks, Russia now appears to be capable—or at least attempting—multi-front assaults. Reinforcements from North Korea could boost this effort.
“It is not possible to forecast the likely impact of North Korean support of this type without more information about the size and composition of the North Korean troop contingent that would be going to Ukraine, nor is it clear how rapidly new North Korean troops would become effective in operations alongside Russian troops in Ukraine,” ISW wrote.
Mutual defense pact underpins growing cooperation
Both North Korea and Russia recently confirmed the presence of North Korean troops and their contribution to Russia’s campaign to reclaim territory in Kursk Oblast. Their military cooperation is grounded in a treaty signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June 2024, which includes mutual defense clauses.
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Russian forces launched a mechanized offensive near Toretsk on 17 June using armored and motorized vehicles, signaling a possible shift in operational focus amid ongoing equipment shortages, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported.
For months, Russia has pushed to capture the remaining parts of Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine, with a focus on Pokrovsk, Chasiv Yar and other Ukrainian strongholds. Pokrovsk had been the focal point of Russia’s ground assaults. Now, Russia appears to hav
Russian forces launched a mechanized offensive near Toretsk on 17 June using armored and motorized vehicles, signaling a possible shift in operational focus amid ongoing equipment shortages, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported.
For months, Russia has pushed to capture the remaining parts of Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine, with a focus on Pokrovsk, Chasiv Yar and other Ukrainian strongholds. Pokrovsk had been the focal point of Russia’s ground assaults. Now, Russia appears to have concentrated on attempts to seize Kostiantinivka, northeast of Pokrovsk.
ISW’s 18 June report mentions Russia’s advances in northern Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts and near Donetsk Oblast’s Chasiv Yar and Toretsk.
Assault near Yablunivka with armored and motorized vehicles
ISW cited geolocatedfootagefrom17 June showing Russian troops carrying out a mechanized assault west of Yablunivka, which lies west of Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast. The footage confirmed the presence of at least three armored vehicles and four motorized units, likely all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), in the assault.
Reinforced assault near Kostiantynivka repelled by Ukrainian forces
On 18 June, Ukrainian military observer Yuriy Butusov reported that a reinforced company-sized Russian assault near Kostiantynivka ended in failure. Ukrainian defenders reportedly destroyed 15 heavy armored vehicles and eight motorized vehicles during the clash.
Decline in Russian mechanized assaults since winter 2024–2025
According to ISW, Russian forces have decreased the frequency of mechanized assaults since Winter 2024–2025. This change likely stems from increasing effectiveness of Ukrainian drone operations and a dwindling Russian supply of armored vehicles.
As traditional tank reserves diminish, ISW observed that Russian forces increasingly rely on civilian vehicles, ATVs, and motorcycles. In April 2025, the Russian Ministry of Defense began formal efforts to integrate motorcycles into offensive tactics. These changes highlight growing logistical limitations for Russian mechanized units.
“Russian mechanized assaults in the Toretsk direction may indicate that the Russian military command intends to prioritize this sector of the front,” ISW wrote.
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