Today, there is important news from the Sumy direction.

Ukraine advances into Kursk

Here, Ukrainian forces are advancing into the Kursk region, turning what was once a defensive stand into a renewed cross-border push. These gains now open the path to outflank and encircle Russian positions from the north to crush the already overstretched enemy lines and reshape the dynamics of the entire front.

A key factor behind this success has been the relentless Ukrainian air strike campaign against Russian reinforcements and command centers across both Sumy and Kursk. This has created openings for Ukrainian ground units to press forward. The Ukrainian Black Swan battalion recently released footage northeast of Kindrativka showing Russian aircraft attempting to bomb new Ukrainian positions, a sign of how far north the battle has shifted.

Despite Russian air activity, Ukrainian advances in this area underscore the collapse of Russia’s ability to maintain pressure in Sumy, with Ukrainian forces now fighting beyond the settlements that were once planned to serve as a foothold for Russia’s push south.

Drone warfare reshapes the battle

Complementing air strikes, Ukraine’s drone campaign is inflicting devastating damage on Russian positions at the tactical level. Heavy drone platforms like the Vampire hexacopter are proving decisive, flying long-range night missions with payloads up to 20 kilograms. These drones are not just dropping improvised explosives but carrying devastating ordnance, including anti-tank mines and a series of mortar rounds, which complicate Russian attempts to maneuver.

Most notably, Ukrainian engineers working with frontline units have introduced a new drone-dropped munition dubbed the black hole bomb. Developed by the Ukrainian Black Swan unit, the weapon has two confirmed variants. The thermobaric version unleashes a high-temperature blast wave that sucks in surrounding air, annihilating fortifications and suffocating troops caught inside trenches or buildings. The fragmentation variant detonates overhead, scattering lethal shrapnel across wide areas, ideal for clearing entrenched infantry or enemy units on the move.

Combat footage shows these black hole munitions creating huge craters and collapsing Russian firing points, their effect comparable to that of artillery shells but instead delivered with surgical precision from the sky. This innovation allows Ukrainian units to dismantle Russian defenses without waiting for conventional artillery or risking exposure of expensive fighter jets to Russian air defense systems.

Russia’s defense collapses

With Russian forces concentrated in Sumy and stretched thin after weeks of costly attacks and devastating air strikes, Ukrainian commanders have again opted for tactical maneuvers rather than frontal attrition. Instead of smashing head-on into Russia’s lines, they are methodically cutting off isolated groups, collapsing salients piece by piece, and pushing back into Kursk in the process. This strategy takes advantage of the area, where settlements are small, scattered, and dispersed, making it easier to bypass and encircle Russian detachments rather than fight through each one in sequence.

Ukrainian advances north of Kindrativka and into rural Kursk show this logic in action, turning the international border into little more than a reference line. In practice, the fighting forms a unified battle space where Ukraine’s forces cross back and forth, exploiting Russian vulnerabilities while ignoring state boundaries that no longer reflect realities on the ground.

The result is a steadily deteriorating situation for the Russian command, and what began as an attempt to push into Sumy has now backfired, with Ukraine not only halting the incursion but clawing back ground across the frontier. Russian infantry, deprived of supplies and hammered by Ukrainian air and drone strikes, cannot establish a coherent defense, and by advancing north, Ukraine is opening the possibility of flanking Russian troops still holding pockets of territory in Sumy from behind, threatening their lines of retreat and accelerating their collapse.

Overall, Ukraine’s steady progress highlights how momentum has shifted from a desperate defensive fight to prevent Russian forces from reaching Sumy city into an operation pushing enemy troops back into Kursk.

The border itself is losing meaning in the chaos of battle, and Ukraine is now able to carry the fight onto Russian soil to disrupt the enemy’s remaining footholds. With innovation in drone warfare, effective use of air power, and smart maneuvering, Ukrainian forces are not just defending but are reshaping the frontline to their advantage.

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 Pokrovsk direction.

Here, Ukrainian forces are closing the gap around the remaining Russian forces in their Dobropillia salient. As Ukrainians finish off pockets of Russian resistance, the Russians’ only hope is to surrender to the advancing Ukrainian army or be annihilated completely.

After conducting a successful penetration from the high ground in the west, Ukrainians are now launching their attacks from the north as well, well, completing the pincer around the Russian Dobropillia salient.

Ukrainians are using highly trained infantry squads to move in, engaging with Russian forces along the way.

Superior supply lines give Ukraine tactical edge

The main advantage of the Ukrainians here is their far superior ground lines of communication, enjoying a direct supply line from Kramatorsk and Ruzhivka, functioning as central operating hubs for Ukrainian forces in northern Donetsk.

Additionally, if we take a look at the topographic map, we can see that as the Ukrainian supply lines approach the front, they cross through several settlements in the valley between two hills.

This blocks signals for Russian drones, who mainly rely on FPV-type kamikaze drones, in stead of munitions dropped from drones.

Russian fiber optics also still only makes up approximately 20% of FPVs used by the Russians, so the valley Ukrainians move through is largely protected against most Russian strikes.

The buildings in the settlements and tree lines running along them offer additional concealment factors to Ukrainian infantry units passing through.

Heavy drones dominate battlefield from above

The last major Ukrainian advantage is their extensive utilization of heavy drones like the Heavy Vampire and Baba Yaga variants.

Because these drones drop heavy explosives or a series of smaller mortar rounds from a height, they are able to fly and hover above the valley, unaffected by the weaker signal strength that Russians suffer from lower to the ground.

Coordinated assault eliminates Russian positions

Geolocated footage shows how Ukrainian infantry squads move south through the settlements under the watchful eye and in constant communication with Mavic reconnaissance drones that detect any Russian presence.

The Ukrainian squad initially engaged the position with grenade launchers using high explosive rounds.

However the rounds were not penetrating into the basement, where some of the Russians were hiding, so to save manpower, ammunition and time, a Vampire hexacopter drone was called in.

The drone then dropped four mortar rounds directly on the basement, wiping out the structure and scoring several direct hits into the underground structure itself.

Russian infantry attempting to flank Ukrainian attacks from the high ground to the east are also promptly intercepted by Ukrainian FPV drones patrolling the area, as signal strengths are much less disrupted on the high ground and the slopes that the Russians must move across first.

Systematic advance tightens the noose

In this manner, Ukrainians are systematically moving south. south, having already consolidated full control of Volodymyrivka and expanding the grey zone to fully encompass the Russian salient.

As you remember from a previous report, Ukrainians avoided finishing off the two Russian encirclements further north to lure more Russian forces in to attempt to rescue them, while keeping them away from important positions.

However, with the trap now sprung, there is little reason to keep these pockets alive and the final clearing operations have begun.

Final clearing operations eliminate remaining pockets

Ukrainian soldiers on the ground report that the western pocket has been cleared completely, as their attention is now moving to the one to the east.

Every Russian is first offered surrender and to be taken as a prisoner of war, however if they hold out and refuse they are promptly dispatched, as Ukrainian forces are much needed elsewhere, and maintaining a tight perimeter costs a lot of resources.

Overall, Ukrainians are closing the gates and finishing off any Russian soldiers who remain. remain, as Ukrainian soldiers on the ground are already reporting that the Prisoner of War Exchange Fund is rapidly being replenished.

In the grey zone, Russian units moving through are now eliminated by drones, as Ukrainian infantry is making their way forward, leaving the fields covered in Russian bodies.

Russian command faces reckoning

The Russian Dobropillia breakthrough event is coming to a close, as many Russian generals will soon start shifting the blame to one another, as a hammer of consequences is sure to soon come from the direction of Moscow.

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 Donetsk. 

Here, as Russia had begun a massive regrouping, pulling in reinforcements from across its stagnating offensives to feed the fight for Pokrovsk, Ukraine struck a decisive blow. 

By launching a massive wave of coordinated strikes, the Ukrainian forces crippled three major command posts, eliminated dozens of high-ranking officers, completely beheading and halting the Russian offensive. 

Ukrainian intelligence tracks every Russian movement

Currently, Russian forces are undergoing a massive redeployment to reinforce and intensify the offensive towards Pokrovsk, while sacrificing several of their other offensives in the process. 

Ukrainian intelligence, however, left no movement unnoticed and tracked almost every Russian convoy. From hacked traffic cameras in the Russian rear, partisans reporting on troop trains, to deep reconnaissance by drones, Ukraine followed enemy columns across roads and tree lines. 

As you remember, loitering munitions already struck Russian troop movements en route, ensuring that even before reaching the front, Russia’s reinforcements were being bled dry. 

Coordinated strikes target three command centers

Ukrainians stepped up their efforts by using one of the newest missiles in its arsenal to strike Russian command headquarters and behead all enemy efforts. 

The centerpiece of Ukraine’s counter was a massive precision strike operation, with the first salvo slamming into the Topaz plant, once a Soviet electronics hub, and now a command post for the Russian army. 

At least five Peklo jet-powered drone missiles were caught on multiple geolocated videos before detonating in near-simultaneous strikes. Flames engulfed several buildings, with further images showing smoke clouds rising above the site.

A second strike smaller but just as targeted destroyed the command hub of the 41st Russian Combined Arms Army within the Research Institute of Complex Automation, where Russia had been directing operations in the region. 

The Russian military was also engaged in the operation of anti-aircraft fire in central Donetsk. 

Finally, another wave of Ukrainian long-range drones hit the command post of the 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division inside an industrial zone, demolishing the nerve center of one of Russia’s key forces attacking west of Donetsk. 

These three strikes occurring within minutes of each other stunned Russian defenses as eyewitnesses described anti-aircraft fire tracing the sky only after the missiles had already hit. 

The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that dozens of Ukrainian drones had been intercepted across western Russia but made no mention of Donetsk itself.

Yet, the reality was clear. Ukrainian precision firepower had ripped through multiple headquarters complexes, with OSINT analysts confirming the hits were all crucial to Russia’s ongoing attempt to push toward Pokrovsk. 

Peklo missiles demonstrate Ukraine’s growing strike independence

The weapons Ukraine used underscored its growing independence in long-range warfare. Analysis of flight profiles and impact videos revealed the silhouette and attack pattern of Ukraine’s Peklo drone missiles.

Propeller-driven drones may have scouted the targets, but the strikes themselves were carried out by the jet-propelled cruise missile-style drones with a range of 700 km at speeds up to 700 km an hour. 

Developed domestically with 70% Ukrainian components, Peklo entered serial production with a target output of 100 pieces per month. With a warhead of 50 kg, it is designed to destroy hardened targets while overwhelming Russian air defenses, proving itself once again in the latest strike on Donetsk city. 

Immediate impact fractures Russian command structure

The result on the Russian offensive is immediate, with key headquarters destroyed, the Russian chain of command has become fractured, and communications from army leaders to units on the ground has been disrupted. 

Many officers familiar with the battle plans have been killed, as similar cases in the past show that such strikes caused paralysis within Russian military strength. That’s what happened. Nothing changed despite these attacks. Replacement officers need time to familiarize themselves with the battlefield and plan of attack, slowing decision-making and holding planned assaults. 

The timing also matters – meteorologists state that autumn rains are expected to commence the mud season by the end of September, threatening to bog down movements and choke supply lines. 

With their headquarters in flames and their commanders gone, Russia’s chances of reigniting momentum at Pokrovsk appear grim.

Strike showcases domestic missile capabilities

Overall, Ukraine’s wave of strikes has effectively cut off the head of the Russian offensive at Pokrovsk by demolishing enemy headquarters. 

Reportedly senior Russian generals were killed, whose identities are being clarified, but even the disruption alone forces Russia into crisis mode. 

For Ukraine, the operation showcased the strength of its domestically built Peklov system, as footage from multiple angles confirmed the missiles penetrated Donetsk unimpeded, proving that Russia’s vaunted air defenses remain full of gaps.

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, 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

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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.