08/26/2025
Ukrainian troops continue to put pressure on Russian positions east of Dobropillya. On the eve, the Ukrainian defense forces cleared two more settlements on this section of the front from invaders.
Ukrainian troops also pushed the Russian occupiers out of positions in the area of the T-0514 Dobropillya-Kramatorsk highway and south of Vesele (northeast of Dobropillya), according to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War.
The situation near Dobropillya
Ukrainian troops continue to clear settlements both at the northern end of the Russian breakthrough line east of Dobropillya and along its base. In particular, the defense forces have almost completely cleared Kucheriv Yar (east of Dobropillya) of the enemy. The Ukrainian offensive along the western and eastern sections of the breakthrough indicates that Russian troops are unable to expand the width of the breakthrough to the extent necessary to support a further offensive.
Counterattacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine threaten to encircle units of the Russian 51st Combined Arms Army operating in the breakthrough north of the Zapovedne-Mayak-Volodymyrivka line. The command of the 51st Combined Arms Army created an assault group, the goal of which was to break through the Ukrainian troops and achieve progress in the breakthrough.
At the same time, the Russian military command abandoned attempts to exploit the breakthrough in the Dobropillya direction after Russian infiltration tactics apparently failed to establish stable positions within this breakthrough.
ISW analysts note that Russian forces have not established a firm position within the offensive. Russian propagandists’ reports of a breakthrough in the Dobropillya area have also significantly decreased in recent days and have shifted to activity to the north, east, and southwest of Pokrovsk. Such rhetoric further suggests that Russian forces have failed to gain a foothold and exploit the breakthrough, and are once again shifting their focus directly to Pokrovsk.
What preceded
In mid-August, the invaders made significant progress in the tactical zone on the northern flank of the Pokrovsky direction – about 10 km in two days. Analysts noted that in the indicated areas there are new heavy engineering fortifications with high-quality engineering barriers and platoon and company positions, “which the enemy calmly bypasses.”
For their part, the Ukrainian military claimed that the information about the alleged rapid breakthrough of Russian occupation troops near Dobropillya was unreliable. Therefore, the materials published on the Internet did not reflect the real facts on the battlefield.
As a reminder, key positions of the Russian occupiers near Dobropillya, Donetsk region, have already been surrounded. At the same time, the combat situation along the entire front line remains difficult.
As OBOZ.UA reported, according to ISW, the command of the Russian Armed Forces is trying to redeploy additional forces and means to strengthen the breakthrough near Dobropillya. However, so far these efforts have not yielded results for the aggressor.