8.09.2026
Nashaniva.com
Ukrainian forces, during a counteroffensive that had been largely unreported for several months, eliminated a significant part of the Russian salient north of Lyman. According to analysts, in some sectors, the front has returned approximately to its May 2025 configuration. Russian military bloggers also acknowledge the seriousness of the situation.
An animation published by French OSINT analyst Clément Molin shows how the front line changed from May 22 to September 5. Ukrainian forces gradually attacked the flanks of the Russian salient, after which they pushed the enemy back towards the Zherebets River, Nevske, and Makiivka.
Thus, the results of approximately a year of Russian offensive operations in this sector have largely been lost. The exact area of territory returned to Ukrainian control remains unclear for now — DeepState is not updating its map.
One of the largest pro-Russian military channels, “Rybar,” openly writes about the problems of Russian troops. According to the channel’s authors, tactical failures could escalate into more serious problems due to “incorrect assessment of the situation and systemic lies in reports to the top.”
Russian military blogger Anatoly Radov also stated that the Ukrainian counteroffensive in this direction has been ongoing for about two and a half months, but the Russian command tried to keep it silent.
The Ukrainian General Staff has not yet reported a large-scale counteroffensive.
Shankar Narayan has reported on this, but it’s paywalled. Here is what can be seen :
First, we need to wait for confirmation from the Institute for the Study of War on whether Russia conducted an orderly withdrawal—or delayed the decision until the regiments positioned across the northern Lyman salient had suffered a severe loss of combat power. We do not yet know how much of the force that withdrew remains intact.
From the map, this appears to have been an orderly Russian withdrawal, not the kind of chaotic collapse we witnessed in late 2022, when Russian forces lost hundreds of square kilometres in a matter of days. We should know more over the next several days, or by next week.
But irrespective of what those details reveal, one fact is already clear: Ukraine has liberated close to 300 square kilometres of strategically important territory in the north…
Nasha Niva btw appears to be a pro-democracy Belarusian site, now operating in exile.