Donbas battles

Russian forces occupy Ivanivka and advance in Nove Shakhove in Donetsk Oblast

Russian forces have occupied Ivanivka and advanced in Nove Shakhove in Donetsk Oblast's Pokrovsk district, the DeepState monitoring group reported on Oct. 4.

5 October, 01:25 AM

Operation Vivaldi blocks Russian assaults on Slovyansk

Operation Vivaldi may impede Russian attempts to storm the city of Slovyansk, according to an Oct. 1 report from the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

2 October, 11:23 AM

NV delivers pickup to National Guard's Rubizh Brigade

NV has completed its fundraiser for a pickup truck for the artillery unit of the National Guard’s Rubizh brigade, whose troops are holding off Russian forces on the Pokrovsk front, and the vehicle has already been delivered to the front line.

28 September, 03:37 PM

Ukrainian forces disrupt Russian plans to encircle Druzhkivka and strike toward Dobropillia

Ukrainian forces in Donetsk Oblast have cleared out Russian troops that had been building up there over the summer, disrupting what Ukrainian commanders say was an attempt to create conditions for encircling Druzhkivka and launching an offensive toward Dobropillia, the 1st Azov Corps of the National Guard reported on YouTube on Sept. 23.

23 September, 04:20 PM

Kushner questions Putin’s claim Russia can seize all of Donbas within months

U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Jared Kushner challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim that Russian forces could capture all of Ukraine’s Donbas within months, The New York Times reported on Sept. 17.

18 September, 11:55 AM

Ukraine's Lyman push collapses Kremlin plan to encircle Donbas fortress cities — ISW

Ukrainian forces disrupted Russia's plan to encircle Donbas fortress cities through Operation Vivaldi, the Institute for the Study of War reported on Sept. 15.

16 September, 10:32 AM

Ukraine liberates village near Lyman in ongoing counteroffensive

Ukraine's Defense Forces liberated Serednie and pushed back Russian forces near Shandryholove, in the Lyman municipality of Donetsk Oblast, the DeepState monitoring project reported on Sept. 15.

15 September, 10:50 AM

Denys Prokopenko takes command of Azov grouping to reinforce defense of Donbas

Brig. Gen. Denys “Redis” Prokopenko has begun serving as commander of the Azov troop grouping, the corps’ press service said in a Facebook post on Sept. 13.

14 September, 12:15 AM

Ukraine seizes back initiative near Lyman, disrupts Russia’s Donbas plans

Ukraine’s Defense Forces have successfully regained the initiative on both the strategic and operational levels for the first time since the Kursk operation, eliminating a Russian salient north of Lyman and disrupting Moscow’s plans to encircle key cities in Donetsk Oblast, according to a Sept. 12 analysis by the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War.

13 September, 10:53 PM

Putin believes Russia can seize rest of Donetsk Oblast by year-end — Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin still expects his forces to seize more Ukrainian territory and believes Russia can capture the rest of Donetsk Oblast by the end of 2026, Reuters reported, citing a person close to the Kremlin.

6 September, 10:59 AM

Russia unable to mount rapid breakthrough even if Kostyantynivka falls — ISW

Russian forces will not be able to achieve a rapid breakthrough through Ukraine’s defense or seize the remainder of Donetsk Oblast even if they secure full control over Kostyantynivka, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote on Aug. 26.

27 August, 10:35 AM

Kremlin rejects third-party administration of Donbas

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Aug. 25 that no third party could administer Donbas, effectively signaling Moscow’s rejection of a reported proposal to establish a buffer zone in the region.

25 August, 06:20 PM

Russian forces push east of Slovyansk to prepare assaults on Donbas fortress cities

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.

24 August, 11:18 AM

Ukraine fights to hold Kostyantynivka amid Russian push

Ukrainian defense forces could lose control of Kostyantynivka in Donetsk Oblast in the coming months, RBC-Ukraine reported on Aug. 3, citing statements from sources in military and political circles.

3 August, 01:56 PM

Up to 145 Russian troops remain in Kostiantynivka, Syrskyi says

Up to 145 Russian troops remain in the city of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine's commander in chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, reported on July 20, citing intelligence data.

20 July, 01:41 PM

Putin holds firm on Donbas goal despite slowing Russian advance

Russian President Vladimir Putin is dismissing calls for peace negotiations with Ukraine and could escalate the war in the coming months, Reuters reported on July 9, citing three sources close to the Kremlin.

9 July, 04:35 PM

Why Russia stopped assaults on Pokrovsk even though it has enough forces

NV learned from an eyewitness what has changed in the actions of the Russian army near Pokrovsk recently and what the Ukrainian Defense Forces are doing in response.

6 July, 04:05 PM

100+ Russian troops breach Kostyantynivka as commanders warn of possible city fall

At least a hundred Russian soldiers have infiltrated Kostyantynivka in Donetsk Oblast, advancing into the city center, as Ukrainian forces warn of an increasingly complex and threatening defensive environment, hromadske reported on June 12.

12 June, 01:32 PM

Latvia's acting FM mocks Russian army's advances in Ukraine

Latvia's acting Foreign Minister Baiba Braže delivered a sharp ridicule of Russia's military performance in Ukraine at the Lennart Meri Conference in Estonia on May 18, drawing a comparison that left little room for interpretation, according to the Foreign Ministry’s post on X.

18 May, 06:30 PM

Russian commanders convince Putin of fall victory in Donbas — FT

High-ranking Russian military commanders convinced dictator Vladimir Putin that their forces will capture the entire Donbas by the fall of 2026, prompting plans for expanded territorial demands, the Financial Times reported on May 13, citing Kremlin insiders and Ukrainian intelligence.

13 May, 12:19 PM

Donbas battles

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