Today, there are interesting updates from the Sumy direction.

Here, Ukrainians have completely annihilated the Russian Sumy offensive from the air, launching devastating strikes all across the board. With even redeployed air defense assets falling victim to Western-supplied bombs, Russian operations are falling apart at the seams as each sector is meticulously targeted without mercy.

Ukrainian forces dismantle Russian air defenses before launching full-scale aerial assault

Ukraine’s armed forces have decisively crushed the Russian offensive into Sumy by cutting off their supply and reinforcement routes through continuous targeting from the air.

This success was made possible by Ukraine’s systematic clearing of the skies, with Russian air defense assets stretched across the entire frontline being repeatedly hunted down. Buk and Tor systems, deployed to protect Russian command posts and depots, became prime targets. In one case, a Russian Tor system continuously hampered Ukrainian attempts at air strikes, resulting in the air defense system becoming the target instead. In another, a Russian Tor battery malfunctioned trying to intercept a Ukrainian air strike, with the missile veering off course and striking a nearby Russian ammunition storage instead. Additionally, Ukrainian operators used fiber-optic FPV drones to stalk and destroy Buk launchers. With these systems eliminated or suppressed, the preparation was done, and the Ukrainian strike aircraft were free to operate over the front.

Western bombs shatter Russian spearhead near Tyotkino and across Kursk

The first major blow landed near Tyotkino. Ukrainian fighters used AASM HAMMER bombs and J-dams to strike infantry groups and ammunition stores at Lokot, Tetkino, and Dronivka, while a bridge at Zabolotivka was demolished to sever supply routes.

Drone operators in Glushkovo were targeted with J-dam strikes, while troops sheltering in a grain elevator at Tyotkino were buried under rubble. Additional airstrikes leveled drone coordination centers in Korovyakivka and troop concentrations across Tyotkino, followed by hits on crossings at Zvannoye. Each wave of HAMMERs and J-dams bombs shattered Russian attempts to mass forces, leaving corpses and destroyed buildings across the Kursk villages, feeding the offensive.

Ukrainian aviation strikes deep behind the border, targeting drone hubs and infantry strongholds

Further southeast, on the Sumy side of the border, the blows continued and opened huge gaps in the Russian lines. Ukrainian aviation destroyed bases from where Russian drone operators were operating at Oleksiivka and Loknia, undermining Russian drone support capabilities, before destroying forces concentrations at Kindrativka and Oleksiivka, where Russian infantry had fortified inside of civilian buildings.

In Yunakivka, multiple bridges and troop concentrations were hit, leaving Russian soldiers buried in collapsed structures.

Major General killed as 155th Marine Brigade headquarters destroyed in Korenevo

Perhaps the most devastating blow came in the Kursk region north of the border, where the headquarters of the 155th Marine Brigade was obliterated at Korenevo while preparing for redeployment to Pokrovsk. High-ranking officers, including Major General Gudkov, were killed, gutting the command of one of Russia’s elite formations.

Additional strikes prevented the Russians from being able to fill in these gaps and leveled command centers at Kulbaki and troop concentrations in Sudzha. In each case, Ukrainian reconnaissance drones adjusted the targeting with lethal precision, ensuring no survivors and capturing the events on footage.

Belgorod strikes block Russian reinforcements from stabilizing the front

On the eastern flank, Ukrainian aircraft struck across Belgorod to prevent Russian reinforcements from stabilizing the situation and trying to hit the Ukrainian counterattacks from the side. HAMMER bombs flattened enemy garrisons in Kozynka, while J-dams destroyed drone control posts at Repyakhivka.

Bridges and positions at Guevo and Grafivka were pounded, and strikes at Kolotylivka killed entire groups of infantry. By hammering both the staging grounds and supply arteries in Belgorod and Kursk, Ukraine ensured that Russian columns advancing toward Sumy were bled dry before even reaching the border.

Russia pulls units as offensive collapses, Ukraine controls the skies

Overall, what the Russian high command once threatened as a march on Sumy city now lies in ruins, its spearheads shattered by Ukrainian airpower and its command structure gutted with the evident result of a collapsed Russian offensive.

Russia has begun pulling units from this sector to reinforce Pokrovsk, a clear sign that the offensive has failed. Ukrainian air superiority, established by dismantling Russian air defenses and exploiting gaps with precision bombs, was the decisive factor, and for the Russian command, dreams of reaching the capital of Sumy are gone. For Ukraine, the skies over the region now belong firmly to them, and their dominance has rewritten the course of the campaign.

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

Ukraine clears the skies — and brings Bayraktars back

Crimea’s radars go dark under wave of strikes

Conditions shift: drones return to dominance

Ukraine builds its own smart munitions for drones

Crimea drone war enters new phase

Day 1289

On 4 September, the biggest news comes from the Russian Federation.

Here, the Russian war effort has reached a breaking point, forcing the state to adopt measures once thought unthinkable to keep its military machine running. With millions of casualties mounting and the labor force collapsing, Russian teenagers are now rapidly being pulled into the war economy to fill the gaps.

In recent weeks, reports have begun to emerge about significant shifts within Russia’s defense sector. What makes the reports especially alarming is that one of the first confirmed cases of underage labor has emerged at the Alabuga complex, where teenagers are now being used to assemble drones. Some are recruited from technical schools, while others are brought in with minimal training. Most live in guarded dormitories and work under surveillance, with punishments for errors and accounts of forced overtime.

The danger is not only the working conditions themselves, but also the fact that Alabuga has always been a high-priority target for Ukraine. Since the Shahed production line supports Russia’s long-range strikes, the entire complex is now a legitimate military target, and the students inside are, in effect, being placed on the frontline.

The situation reflects the broader collapse of Russia’s manpower base, and after more than 1 million wartime losses, including dead, wounded, captured, and discharged, there is no longer enough adult labor to sustain both the military and the economy. Key industries, such as construction, transportation, and manufacturing, are now overstretched, particularly in military zones. The conditions at Alabuga are likely not unique, as similar facilities across the country face pressure to maintain output with a shrinking workforce and rising demand. The same pattern is likely repeating elsewhere: quiet expansions, untrained labor, and no safety net.

Before resorting to underage labor, Moscow attempted to compensate through foreign recruitment, launching large-scale efforts to bring in workers from Central Asia, South Asia, and Africa; however, the results fell short. Most recruits were poorly integrated, lacked relevant training, and faced growing hostility from Russian society.

That pressure has also opened doors for Ukrainian intelligence, as some of Russia’s most destructive drone and airfield losses, including the strike that destroyed a third of its long-range bombers in one day, were made possible by operatives exploiting these weak points from inside the labor system. Several were even redirected to combat support roles. These scandals, combined with public resentment, undermined the entire approach. Today, foreign recruitment still exists but is no longer seen as a sustainable solution.

Russia’s reliance on teenagers is not just a labor problem; it is structural, as Russia’s war machine is burning through manpower faster than it can replace it, but instead of scaling back, it just widens the net: first migrants, then prisoners, now pupils. The goal is always the same: sustain the output, whatever the cost. That is why classrooms are turning into dormitories, teachers are being sidelined for production quotas, and students are being taught to wire warheads instead of learning math.

However, these adaptations come with a price, as civilian infrastructure is repurposed for military use, the dividing line between civilian and combatant becomes blurred. By militarizing industrial sites and filling them with untrained minors, Russia is exposing them to direct retaliation.

If a drone factory becomes a military hub, then civilian workers, including students, are placed in the line of fire. The shift toward mass militarization of society is not strengthening Russia; it is exposing its core, and with every adaptation, that vulnerability grows.

Overall, the use of teenage workers in drone factories is not a temporary fix; it is a warning sign. Russia has run out of spare labor, exhausted its foreign recruitment options, and is now facing a shortage of internal resources. If the war effort now depends on minors to keep production lines moving, it indicates that Russia has exhausted its reserve labor capacity, a sign of accelerating internal depletion. As Russia expands its system to maintain wartime output, the likelihood increases that Ukraine will escalate its deep-strike campaign, targeting not just supply lines, but the very infrastructure and labor model sustaining Russian production.

Day 1283

On 29 August, the biggest news comes from Ukraine.

Russians are sending their infiltration groups across the river, threatening a breakthrough that Russian commanders had long sought after. However, before they could receive orders to hit Ukrainians from behind, Ukrainian tanks rolled up and started annihilating Russian assault units point-blank.

The main Russian goal here is to take control of the town of Lyman, as the strategic location will serve as a stepping stone for future operations. If captured, Lyman would serve as a forward operating base for three major offensives: a pincer to trap Ukrainian forces along the Oskil river, a southern strike to outflank Siversk, and a push deeper into Donetsk toward the last Ukrainian stronghold of fortified settlements before the terrain opens into vulnerable plains.

To do any of this though, Russia first needs to breach Ukrainian positions east of Lyman and secure a reliable crossing point over the Zherebets River, as the battles for Torske and Zarichne unfold. Russian forces have advanced on two settlements from three sides: using small unit infiltration tactics rather than large-scale assaults. Larger attacks have ended in disaster like a recent 25-strong motorcycle charge near Torske, which was destroyed by artillery and drones. The result is a series of grinding Russian probing assaults, with Russian troops attempting to sneak across terrain and establish a foothold before being detected. Ukrainian forces have responded with an active defense, flexible positions, mobile counterattacks, and deliberate withdrawals to avoid major casualties. As a result, Torske is currently a grey zone where no side holds full control, Ukrainian commanders are prioritizing maintaining long-term combat strength over a static defense.

Both sides have key advantages here, as Russian units have managed to establish a stable infiltration corridor through the Serebryanskyi forest, which allows small detachments to cross into the area around Zarichne with some level of cover.

Meanwhile, Ukraine maintains an advantage through its rapid reaction capabilities, allowing it to strike back before Russian units can consolidate. Thermal drones monitor positions, and armored units are held ready for quick strikes once a Russian presence is detected, with Russian drone operators unable to quickly respond and intercept.

Geolocated footage shows how Russian troops infiltrated through the forest and entered houses on the edge of the village. Ukraine responded by dispatching a tank to eliminate the group, firing four high-explosive shells in direct fire to blow up each of the buildings and any Russians inside. Ukrainian thermal drones monitored the entire exchange, and no follow-up footage was released, suggesting the tank successfully eliminated the entire group.

Based on the size and number of the infiltrated buildings, and the standard size of Russian groupings that gather before committing to assaults, between 20 and 30 Russians were likely killed. The tactic of rapid armored response under thermal cover is extremely effective, exactly because Russian drone and artillery units do not have enough time to rapidly respond and destroy the tank.

Ukrainian forces have also laid down layered passive defenses, including razorwire barriers, and these are meant to delay infiltrators just long enough for drone operators to locate and eliminate them with strikes of their own. In one recent incident, a Russian soldier became entangled in Egoza-type razorwire and was eliminated by a drone while immobilized, illustrating how Ukraine pairs static defenses with real-time drone surveillance and immediate strike responses, keeping most Russian infiltrators from ever establishing a foothold.

Overall, the battle for Lyman continues to evolve, and Russia’s goals are clear: take the city and turn it into a launchpad for a tri-pronged offensive across northern Donetsk. For now though, Russia is struggling to even cross the Zherebets River in enough force to make a dent. Ukrainian forces are using active defense tactics, armored counters, and thermal drone coverage to keep the front fluid and prevent Russian forces from consolidating gains. As road conditions worsen heading into autumn, Russia’s window for launching a full-scale assalt is narrowing.

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. Ukrainians are depriving the Russian armed forces of ammunition, crucial for every aspect of warfare. By targeting every step in the production chain, from the very first stage of gunpowder production to ammunition depots near the frontline, Ukraine is making sure the Russians won’t have enough shells, rockets, and drones to launch.

Massive explosion at Ryazan gunpowder plant

Ukraine has dealt another devastating blow to Russia’s war machine with the destruction of one of its largest gunpowder factories. A massive blast ripped through the Elastic plant in Ryazan Oblast following a Ukrainian drone strike, obliterating four major buildings, including critical powder storage facilities. The strike reportedly destroyed around 300 tons of artillery powder and hundreds of 152 millimeter shells.

The destruction was compounded by heavy casualties among the staff, who worked around the clock in non-stop shifts to sustain Russia’s artillery demands. Footage from locals showed huge flames and the complete annihilation of the workshop where the explosion originated.

Tambov’s Kotovsky gunpowder plant destroyed

In Tambov, another Ukrainian drone strike destroyed the Kotovsky gunpowder plant, a facility under Rostec that manufactures critical powders for weapons and ammunition. This site was especially significant, as it is the only factory in Russia capable of producing certain nitrocellulose-based powders. Its loss is irreplaceable in the short term, compounding Russia’s growing shortages of artillery and rocket propellants.

Systematic strikes on Russia’s war economy

With two of Russia’s main gunpowder factories reduced to rubble, Ukrainian forces have demonstrated a strategy aimed not just at the battlefield but at the very foundations of Russia’s war economy.

By targeting gunpowder plants, chemical facilities, and depots, Ukraine is systematically dismantling the production cycle that feeds the Russian war effort. Without powder, explosives, or propellants, even the most advanced missile or artillery system becomes useless.

Drone strike on Moscow’s Chemical Research Institute

One of the most notable attacks took place in Moscow Oblast, where Ukrainian drones struck the Research Institute of Applied Chemistry in Sergiyev Posad. This enterprise produced thermobaric warheads for Shahed drones and incendiary mixtures for Russia’s notorious TOS-1 thermobaric artillery systems.

Ukraine targets missile propellant factories

Ukrainian forces also targeted the Krasnozavodsky Chemical Plant, a critical facility that produced oxidizers and propellants for S-300 and S-400 air defense systems, as well as Iskander and Buk missiles.

In Tula Oblast, Ukrainian drones hit the Azot chemical plant for a second time in recent months, sparking fires at a site tied closely to Russia’s defense production.

Explosions at Nevinnomysskiy Azot plant in Stavropol Krai

Further south, Ukrainian drones pummeled the Nevinnomysskiy Azot plant in Stavropol Krai with 20 explosions, targeting nitric acid production essential for high explosives like octogen and hexogen. Reports confirmed the facility was still burning after the attack, also its second in two months.

Strikes near Belgorod and Donetsk

Similarly, near Belgorod, the Selena chemical reagent plant in Shebekino was struck, igniting fires and disrupting yet another component of Russia’s supply chain.

Even when ammunition makes it through the production process, Ukraine continues to hunt it down before it can be deployed. Ukrainian drones struck occupied Donetsk, igniting an ammunition depot, while another operation targeted Russian jets and storage sites at the Saky airbase in Crimea.

Melitopol depot erupts in massive secondary explosions

In Melitopol, footage emerged of a Russian depot erupting in massive secondary explosions, underscoring Ukraine’s relentless pursuit of enemy munitions at every stage of their way to the front.

Ukraine’s strategy weakens Russia long-term

Overall, the Ukrainian campaign is systematic, devastating, and long-term in vision. By hitting gunpowder factories, chemical plants, and ammunition depots, Ukraine is ensuring that Russia faces a mounting supply crisis that will cripple both its offensive and defensive capabilities.

Ukrainians target facilities that cannot be easily replaced, as restarting production at destroyed plants will take months, if not years, to restore. For Russia, this means fewer shells, fewer rockets, and fewer options to pressure Ukraine both at the front and in the rear. For Ukraine, it is a decisive strategy, dismantling the enemy’s war machine one critical explosion at a time.

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 1280

On 26 August, the biggest news comes from Ukraine.

Here, Ukrainian long-range drones have attacked and sunk a Russian cargo vessel carrying Iranian Shahed drones before they could be unloaded. This was only the first step of what followed – a broader campaign in which Ukraine targeted everything connected to the Iranian Shahed drones, from launch sites to massive storage depots and assembly plants.

The first target of Ukraine became Port Olya on the Caspian sea, where they targeted a vessel of extreme importance, as the ship was loaded with ammunition and drone parts for Iranian Shahed drones. Footage shows the vessel listing, its bridge gutted by fire, and its hull partly submerged, contradicting Russian claims of light damage. Olya is Russia’s main port on the Caspian, linking Iran with inland routes, and striking here disrupted a key corridor that has funnelled Iranian drones into Russia for nightly strikes on Ukrainian cities.

The attack showed that shipments can be destroyed even at their entry point, far from the front, and for Ukraine, this sets a precedent for targeting the logistics routes that feed Russia’s drone campaign.

Ukraine has begun a methodical campaign against every stage of the Shahed program, aiming to destroy transport, launch, storage, and production sites in sequence.

The next strike hit the Primorsko-Akhtarsk airfield in Krasnodar, a known launch site for Shaheds across the Sea of Azov. Overnight, drones hit launch areas, with satellite data confirming fires shortly after Russian launch activity was detected. Because this airfield has been central to Russia’s swarm attacks, earlier satellite data shows repeated targeting to reduce operational capacity over time. Each strike forces Moscow to lean more on mobile launchers, which reduces massing and degrades the effectiveness of their saturation-style attacks.

Ukraine also struck storage depots in Tatarstan, over 1,300 kilometers from the border. At Kzyl-Yul, long-range drones hit warehouses storing ready-to-use Shaheds and imported parts, igniting fires that burned through the site.

Russian outlets tried to minimize the impact, but Ukrainian intelligence confirmed that a large number of drones were destroyed before they could be moved forward. Images shared by Russian sources of similar depots suggest that a single warehouse can hold a full strike package, often numbering hundreds in one facility alone. This was not an isolated event, as Ukraine hit the same depot again a short while later, waiting for the depot to be replenished before striking again.

The factory at Yelabuga in Tatarstan has also remained under Ukrainian fire, because this plant is the largest and central to Russia’s effort to assemble Shaheds domestically and reduce dependency on Iranian supplies. Earlier strikes damaged workshops and caused fires, and recent attacks again reached the site.

For Russia, keeping the factory running is critical to sustaining output, but each hit delays production and raises the cost of finding technicians willing to work under threat, and after repeated strikes, few will take jobs at a site that is a major target for Ukraine, which the Russian government also cannot protect. For Ukraine, hitting Yelabuga targets the core of Russian drone assembly, and returning to the site after earlier attacks signals that Ukraine can monitor and disrupt production in cycles, not just once.

The sequence of strikes on a ship destroyed in Astrakhan, a launch site hit in Krasnodar, depots burning in Tatarstan, and a factory repeatedly attacked reflects a deliberate strategy. Ukraine is no longer just intercepting drones in the air but targeting the full ecosystem that enables their use, because the fight has shifted from defense to offense. By striking the supply chain from point of entry through storage and launch to final assembly, Kyiv has shown that every stage is vulnerable and that distance no longer guarantees protection.

Overall, the strikes have made Shaheds far costlier for Russia, forcing it to defend supply routes and factories across thousands of kilometers. Moscow must disperse scarce air defenses, reroute shipments from Iran, and absorb the loss of production facilities that cannot easily be replaced. Each strike weakens Russia’s ability to sustain mass drone attacks, proving that Ukrainian drones can strike accurately across Russia’s depth.

In a war of attrition, this balance matters: the further Ukraine can strike into Russian territory, the less Moscow can count on Iranian drones to sustain its pressure campaign.

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 Sumy direction. Here, the Ukrainian command has executed a deadly plan to not only stop the Russian offensive into Sumy Oblast once and for all but also to destroy as many enemy forces as possible. After retaking the initiative and starting to dictate the pace, the Ukrainians began to slowly finish off the Russian units left in the region without supplies.

Russian lines in the Sumy sector are collapsing at a rapid pace, with Ukraine inflicting one of the most decisive defeats on the Russian offensive since the war began.

The chain reaction started when Ukrainian forces destroyed a key bridge near Yunakivka. This bridge was critical for Russian mobility, serving as a potential route for flanking Ukrainian positions. With it gone, Russian troops found themselves trapped in unfavorable positions, stripped of the ability to maneuver and flank or encircle Ukrainian forces. Since the bridge’s destruction, Russian units have failed to make any meaningful advances in the area, leaving them exposed and increasingly vulnerable to Ukrainian countermeasures.

Ukrainian fire control dismantles Russian supply lines

The second factor accelerating the Russian collapse is Ukraine’s strict fire control over Russian ground lines of communication. Every Russian supply route is under lethal Ukrainian surveillance, followed by precise artillery, drones, and aviation strikes. With Russians forced to move on foot and lacking armored vehicles to protect their advances, reinforcement and resupply became nearly impossible.

This allowed the Ukrainians to effectively split the Russian force grouping in two. And because Ukrainian planes had taken out the bridge, Russians could not use it to outflank the Ukrainians as they dealt with the smaller force grouping first.

The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed that fire control zones now effectively block Russian logistics, evacuation routes, and reinforcement corridors, leaving isolated Russian positions to shrink under relentless pressure.

Key Ukrainian advantages in Sumy

• Destruction of critical Russian bridge near Yunakivka.
• Fire control zones making supply and evacuation impossible.
• Precision artillery and FPV drones targeting regrouping attempts.
• Russian forces split into smaller, isolated groupings.

Russian command shattered by general’s wounding

In response to the worsening situation, the Russian high command attempted to stabilize the front by dispatching a high-ranking general to reorganize defenses, but this plan backfired quickly.

Ukrainian reconnaissance spotted and ambushed the Russian command column moving through Kursk Oblast, destroying multiple vehicles and striking senior leadership. Among those targeted was Lieutenant General Abachev, who was gravely wounded in the attack. Intelligence sources confirm that he was evacuated to Moscow, where doctors amputated his arm and leg. The loss of such a high-ranking officer in the middle of a crisis further cripples Russia’s ability to coordinate, delaying its already faltering attempts to restore cohesion to the frontline.

Ukrainian advances toward Kindrativka and Oleksiivka

With the smaller Russian foothold in the northwest steadily collapsing, Ukrainian forces can soon start pressing toward the larger concentration of Russian troops northeast of Sumy, striking from multiple flanks. Russian military bloggers admit that the loss of Kindrativka marked a turning point, as Ukrainian units are pressing deeper, spearheaded by special operation forces and backed by waves of FPV drones that shred Russian positions and prevent any attempt to regroup.

Geolocated Ukrainian footage confirms operations by at least a dozen different units, including artillery crews executing pinpoint strikes, grenade launcher operators engaging entrenched enemy troops, and soldiers conducting both precision attacks and disruptive raids behind enemy lines. Fighting around Oleksiivka has intensified, with Russian analysts conceding that Ukrainian advances are impossible to halt under current conditions.

Evidence of Ukrainian multi-unit operations

• Artillery crews carrying out pinpoint strikes.
• Grenade launcher teams targeting entrenched troops.
• FPV drone operators eliminating Russian positions.
• Special forces conducting disruptive raids behind enemy lines.

Russian logistics in ruins

Reports indicate that Russian logistics have completely broken down, with food and ammunition unable to reach frontline troops, with supply drops from Russian drones rare and in between. In just the northwest sector, Russian losses in the last days are estimated at 334 killed and more than 550 wounded, a catastrophic toll that has gutted local combat effectiveness.

Ukraine reverses the momentum in Sumy

Overall, Ukraine has successfully halted the Russian offensive in Sumy and reversed the momentum, as the combination of cutting supply lines, destroying critical infrastructure, and relentlessly targeting reinforcement attempts dismantled the Russian efforts piece by piece. With their ground lines of communication in ruins and their command structure shaken by leadership losses, Russian troops are being pushed into a purely defensive posture.

Reports from both Russian and Ukrainian sources acknowledge that Russian forces will struggle to stop further Ukrainian advances. What was once envisioned as a bold push into Sumy has ended in defeat, leaving Ukraine in control of the battlefield initiative and Russia scrambling to contain the damage.

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 interesting news from the Lyman direction. Here, Russians press forward and are rapidly burning through their forces, attacking Ukrainians from all sides. Holding an active defense, the Ukrainian Third Army Corps is hitting back hard, denying the Russians new territory and taking advantage of their most exposed positions to make new significant territorial gains of their own.

Battle for Torske

Russian forces continue to push towards Torske from all sides, but Ukrainian defenders from the 63rd and 60th Mechanized Brigades are defending proactively. They are preventing the enemy from consolidating or entrenching inside the settlement by targeting Russians during their deployment to the frontline.

Drone strikes and destroyed BMPs

In the nearby Serebryanski Forest, Russian troops have pushed deeper through its natural cover to move into Torske by maintaining as small a profile as possible and crawling past Ukrainian positions at night. However, the Russians failed to stay undetected throughout the day, and geolocated footage shows a Ukrainian tank firing at close range into their positions in the ruins of the settlement. The infiltrators tried to seek cover in the trees but were followed by the armored vehicle and eliminated with another series of devastating shots.

In another engagement involving rarely seen armored vehicles, Ukrainian FPV drone operators destroyed two Russian BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles near Terny, trying to deploy assault groups to attack Torske from the north. Both vehicles became immobilized after hitting mines, and their surviving crew members and dismounted infantry were subsequently eliminated.

Impact of this engagement

• The loss of both BMPs and their crews halted any momentum the Russians hoped to build in that direction.
• It underscores the effectiveness of Ukrainian drone warfare in neutralizing even heavily armored targets before they can influence the battle.

Ukrainian command strategy

While Torske holds some tactical value, the Ukrainian command has made it clear they will not sacrifice their men to defend it at all costs. A mobile and active defensive posture is essential, prioritizing the lives of soldiers and maintaining the combat capabilities of brigades over clinging to a single defense line.

Russian weakness on the Zherebets River

Along the Russian bridgehead across the Zherebets River, the situation is very different. The Russians are overextended, and their most vulnerable positions are constantly under heavy Ukrainian fire without Russian artillery being able to respond without exposing itself on the bank. Russian soldiers have to move 15 kilometers on foot at a crawling pace to avoid immediate detection by Ukrainian drones, making any reinforcement attempts costly, slow, and any rapid response impossible.

Recapture of Ridkodub

Due to this, Ukrainians were able to conduct a counterattack and exploit the enemy’s weaknesses. Fighters from various brigades within the Third Army Corps recently recaptured Ridkodub, striking precisely where Russian forces were most exposed.

Geolocated first-person footage shows Ukrainian assault troops moving through tree lines and clearing them of forward enemy positions before moving into the rural buildings of the village. Videos from several different soldiers show in detail how the Ukrainian operators clear basement after basement, being guided in real time by drone operators and their officers in field headquarters. After killing, wounding, and capturing dozens of Russian soldiers, the Ukrainians take various enemy documents and weapons as intel and trophies and secure the area.

Key elements of the operation

• Use of a ground drone system to deliver ammunition and supplies to soldiers at night.
• Evacuation of a wounded comrade on the drone’s return trip, highlighting the adaptability of Ukrainian air and ground drone tactics.

Ridkodub is now fully cleared of Russian presence. Given the logistical difficulties for Russian forces — needing to move artillery, drones, and infantry across the river while avoiding constant Ukrainian surveillance — the enemy advance here has to start from scratch.

Ukraine retains the initiative

Overall, Ukrainian forces in the Lyman sector are solving their issues by not only conducting active defense and efficiently absorbing Russian attacks but also reclaiming ground whenever opportunities are created. This takes the initiative away from the Russians and prevents them from making gains in the area.

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 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Become one of our 700+ patrons!

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.