In Donetsk Oblast, in the Pokrovsk direction, Russian forces are using banned chemical irritants dropped from their drones, says the deputy commander of the 68th Separate Rifle Brigade named after Oleksa Dovbush, known by the call sign Italian, ArmyInform reports. 

“It’s no secret, they use various gases prohibited by international conventions,” the officer says.

The Russians are also actively employing remote mining of Ukrainian logistical routes to complicate troop rotations and the delivery of ammunition to defensive positions.

This is a serious problem that Ukrainian troops combat daily by clearing the consequences of such actions.

Although there is no large-scale Russian equipment advance in this sector, occasional rotations and dense mining of approaches to Ukrainian positions are observed.

The Russians also use powerful electronic warfare means.

“They try by all available means to prevent us from delivering ammunition and conducting troop rotations. Because of this, it is difficult for drone pilots and heavy UAV units to operate,” the soldier explains.

Russian tactics include creating dispersed assembly points for personnel to transfer forces to various frontline sections to bypass Ukrainian defenses.

The main strike is difficult to predict, but there are noticeable attempts to advance north and south, avoiding frontal assaults due to heavy losses.

Particular Russian activity is observed near the settlements of Myrnohrad and Bohatyr.

“The enemy is trying to find weak spots in our defense, attempting to flank fortified areas to complicate logistics and create threats for our units,” he summarizes.

The total combat losses of Russian forces since the start of the all-out war in 2022 have surpassed 1 million personnel. Nevertheless, Russia continues its summer offensive and is planning to bring in North Korean troops to support it. Currently, about 695,000 Russian soldiers are engaged in the war.