Russian forces push east of Slovyansk to prepare assaults on Donbas fortress cities
Russian forces advance on Slovyansk axis (Photo: 114th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade / AFU GenStaff)
Russian forces have advanced east of Slovyansk in Donetsk Oblast in preparation for frontal assaults toward the city and the wider Donbas "fortress belt," analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote on Aug. 23.
Ukrainian military observer Kostyantyn Mashovets stated that forward elements of the Russian invasion force on the Slovyansk axis are advancing simultaneously across multiple tactical sectors. He noted that the command of Russia’s 3rd Combined Arms Army (Southern Military District) is reinforcing assault infantry immediately after securing initial penetrations and establishing footholds.
According to Mashovets, Russian troops captured positions on the southern bank of the Siverskyi Donets River and advanced to the southeastern outskirts of Pyskunivka, east of Slovyansk. Russian forces also established positions in Zakitne (northeast of Pyskunivka) and Kryva Luka (southeast of Pyskunivka).
Russian assault squads later infiltrated the southern and southeastern outskirts of Mykolayivka from the western sector of Ray-Oleksandrivka.
ISW analysts assessed that Russian forces are attempting to capture Mykolayivka to create conditions for future attacks against Slovyansk from the east, particularly after Ukrainian defenses thwarted Russian advances from the Lyman and Yampil directions to the northeast.
On Aug. 22, ISW documented geolocated evidence confirming Russian tactical penetrations south of Ray-Oleksandrivka.
Analysts also highlighted reports from Aug. 23 indicating that Ukrainian forces repelled a Russian infiltration attempt into Mykolayivka. Mashovets reported that Russian troops conducted an infiltration through Markove, advancing toward Zapovidne (both southeast of Slovyansk), and penetrated three additional settlements along the E-40 Bakhmut–Slovyansk highway. The objective of these operations was to secure positions on the western bank of the Siverskyi Donets–Donbas Canal and reach the Siverskyi Donets River directly east of Slovyansk.
The ISW report noted that Russian forces are prioritizing attacks on the southern bank of the Siverskyi Donets River and from Ray-Oleksandrivka toward Mykolayivka. By doing so, Russian commanders aim to seize dominant tactical heights and establish advantageous staging grounds for an assault on Slovyansk while bypassing difficult terrain and heavily fortified Ukrainian defensive lines to the northeast. Russian units are effectively conducting a dual tactical envelopment to link forces operating near Kryva Luka and Ray-Oleksandrivka, aiming to strike Mykolayivka simultaneously from dominant heights to the east and south.
Military analysts noted that at the onset of the spring-summer offensive, Russian forces focused offensive operations against Slovyansk from the northeast through Lyman, but largely failed to achieve operational success. Ukrainian defenses, difficult topography, the Siverskyi Donets River flowing north and northeast of Slovyansk, and complex surrounding canal networks effectively halted Russian advances from that axis.
Russian commanders likely view Mykolayivka as a key tactical objective, as its capture could facilitate westbound assaults toward Slovyansk and bypass natural terrain barriers that restrict maneuverability.
However, ISW analysts stressed that it remains highly improbable that Russian forces will achieve rapid tactical or operational breakthroughs west of Mykolayivka toward Slovyansk, as they must still secure multiple fortified settlements. Russian forces have faced formidable operational difficulties attempting to capture Slovyansk and the northern sector of the Donbas fortress belt since 2014.
On Aug. 4, ISW reported that Russia was attempting to logistically isolate Ukrainian defenders in Slovyansk and Kramatorsk ahead of a planned offensive. Russian forces are replicating elements of their Battlefield Air Interdiction (BAI) campaign conducted in the summer and fall of 2025 — which facilitated late-2025 advances near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast and Hulyaypole in Zaporizhzhya Oblast — in preparation for broader offensive operations against the fortress belt cities.
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