Russia is turning the consequences of its own crime into a military advantage. The invaders have destroyed the Kakhovka Reservoir and are now using the exposed bottom as a staging ground for maneuvers and attacks, UNIAN reports. 

Russian soldiers are attempting to bypass Ukrainian positions in Zaporizhzhia by moving across its exposed bed, according to Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Defense Forces of the South.

Occupiers searching for flanking routes in their crime area

Voloshyn explains that the reservoir has effectively turned into a large meadow overgrown with lush vegetation.

“The Russians are trying to use this dense vegetation and the bottom of the former Kakhovka Reservoir to outflank our positions in the settlements of Plavni and Prymorske, to attack us from the west,” Voloshyn says.

He adds that personnel from Ukrainian Defense Intelligence units have carried out clearance operations near the islands of Velyki Kuchuhury, located within the former reservoir area. The Russian forces also attempted to infiltrate past Ukrainian positions in this sector.

“This zone is being monitored under special control,” the spokesperson emphasized.

Russia blew the dam, gained weeks, lost soldiers, but did not achieve a perfect result

Russia’s destruction of the Kherson dam temporarily improved its defensive posture in Kherson Oblast and delayed Ukrainian operations in the south, but it did not produce any lasting military superiority. That has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians. Some Russian troops also died during the operation. 

The destruction exposed sediments containing more than 90,000 tonnes of hazardous heavy metals, a toxic cocktail that had quietly accumulated on the reservoir floor since 1956.

However, Ukrainian forces continue to hold nearly 20% of Kherson Oblast, including the central city of Kherson. 

The situation in Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, is absolutely critical. Russian occupiers continue to amass forces. The DeepState monitoring project reports that the invaders have already established control over parts of the city, setting up positions and logistics hubs to support further infiltration. 

A logistical trap for Ukrainian forces and lost possibilies

At the same time, Ukrainian soldiers continue to carry out clearing operations and neutralize Russian troops using all available capabilities, with drone pilots playing a key role in securing Pokrovsk. 

The occupiers are attempting to secure the area between Pokrovsk and Hryshyne, while Ukrainian special units continue clearing operations to maintain control of this critical logistical corridor. 

“However, this does not solve the main problem — blocking the Russians on the southern outskirts to prevent further infiltration into the city. Given that they are already establishing positions and taking control of the area, this possibility is effectively lost," the experts say. 

An occupation, even without strong fortifications

The situation also threatens Myrnohrad, Pokrovsk's twin city, with being cut off entirely from the outside world. 

"Its capture would be especially damaging because the occupiers could take it without even properly fortifying their positions," the DeepState experts add.

Russians are leveling Pokrovsk within the city and along the flanks of the defensive line

Meanwhile, Spokesperson for the 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces Serhii Okishev says that active operations are ongoing in the northeastern part of Pokrovsk to clear Russian occupation forces, according to Ukrinform.

Okishev notes that Russian forces are using artillery, drones, and guided aerial bombs. The fighting is concentrated both within the city and along the flanks of the defensive line.

Putin sets deadline for Pokrovsk conquest, throws 17,000 more soldiers thrown into burning city

Russian troops are attempting to advance through the urban areas and establish positions on the outskirts. 

Fighting continues in the Pokrovsk area between Ukrainian special forces and Russian occupation troops. The operation aims to protect a strategically important logistical area and neutralize Russian attempts to expand their fire control over critical supply routes.

Ukrainian soldiers hold the ruined cities of Donbas, without infrastructure, under constant fire, refusing to yield even a few hundred meters. Yet the fiery ring tightens, Armiia TV reports.

On the Kramatorsk axis, Russian troops relentlessly assault the positions of Ukraine’s 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade in Chasiv Yar, which continues to prove that the aggressor cannot destroy peaceful settlements with impunity, while also methodically devastating Kostiantynivka.

The Russian offensive on Kostiantynivka depends on another battle for Ukraine's Pokrovsk, which has proven catastrophic for Kyiv's troops in recent weeks.

"The armor never reached"

Oleh Petrasiuk, press officer of the 24th King Danylo Brigade, says that Russian assaults on the Kramatorsk axis are constant, with the occupiers regularly deploying armored vehicles.

“But all that equipment was destroyed — it never made it. They didn’t even manage to deploy their troops, didn’t even reach the center of Chasiv Yar,” he said.

According to him, fierce clashes continue between the city center and the canal, where Ukrainian defenders maintain the line under relentless fire.

Kostyantynivka under fire

While Chasiv Yar holds the front, Kostiantynivka suffers from constant air and artillery strikes. The Russians are systematically razing the city, leaving no chance for civilians.

“Many civilians still remain in the city. A lot of them refuse to evacuate... It’s quite dangerous there. There’s no infrastructure left — and, frankly, life there looks more like death,” said Petrasiuk.

Kostiantynivka anchors the southern approach to the Donbas fortress belt, which includes Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, and Pokrovsk. These cities together form Ukraine’s eastern bastion. If it falls, the defensive ring could be flanked, leaving the heart of the Donbas vulnerable.

As of 2025, Russia has been trying to seize the Ukrainian Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts for 12 years. 

Just two days ago, Russian soldiers committed a severe war crime, killing three civilians near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast. Now the Russian command is attempting to extend this practice to foreign nationals fighting for Moscow, Ukraine's Defense Intelligence reveals. 

Ukraine has recorded a war crime committed by Colombian mercenaries fighting against Ukraine as part of the 30th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, which belongs to the 2nd Combined Arms Army of Russia’s Central Military District.

In an intercepted conversation, one of the field commanders issues an order in Spanish to execute Ukrainian civilians, including women and children. 

A silent order for blood on foreign soil

The same recording contains a shocking demand from an accomplice of the Russian occupiers: “When there is fog, mist, so they are not identified, let them eliminate all people on the enemy side. On motorcycles, on bicycles, women and children, women and children.”

People bury their neighbours in yards, as evacuation is not possible 

Since April 2025, civilians in Pokrovsk have been burying the dead directly in the courtyards of residential buildings, as it is impossible to transport bodies to the cemetery. Russian forces are advancing on the city from multiple directions and shell it daily. Despite this, more than a thousand residents remain in Pokrovsk, Bakhmut reports. 

According to regional authorities, evacuation from the city is nearly impossible. Those who stay in the city face extreme danger moving through the streets, as Russian troops may be present.

The exact number of casualties is unknown. Russian commanders continue to issue orders to kill civilians attempting to flee the combat zone.