18.09.2025
In the Donetsk direction, in the area of Pokrovska and Dobropillya, the Defense Forces are conducting a successful counter-offensive operation. During fierce battles, Ukrainian soldiers inflicted significant losses on Russian terrorist forces. Since the beginning of the operation, our defenders have liberated 160 square kilometers of Ukrainian land from Russian filth.
This was announced by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. He noted that today, September 18, he heard a report from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky on the results of the counteroffensive in the Donetsk region.
“Since the start of the operation, our soldiers have already liberated 160 square kilometers, and more than 170 square kilometers have been cleared of the occupier . We have significantly replenished our exchange fund – there are already almost a hundred Russian prisoners, and there will be more,” the head of state said.
According to the president, Ukrainian soldiers have liberated seven settlements in the Donetsk direction, and another nine have been cleared of the Russian presence.
“Any group of occupiers who try to enter here will be destroyed by our guys,” Zelenskyy stressed.
He also noted that during the successful counter-offensive operation, the enemy suffered significant losses, and the Ukrainian side significantly replenished its exchange fund.
“Russian losses only since the beginning of our counter-offensive operation, only in the Pokrovsk area, only in these weeks – already more than two and a half thousand, of which more than 1,300 Russians were killed,” the president cited the data.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that thanks to the efforts of Ukrainian soldiers, the enemy lost its offensive potential in the Donetsk direction.
“In fact, our forces are deprived of the opportunity to carry out an offensive operation in this direction, which they had long planned and counted on. First, Sumy region, now here,” the president emphasized.
What preceded
Russia was preparing an offensive in four directions – Sumy, Novopavlovsk, Pokrovsky, and Zaporizhzhia. The Ukrainian side had information about this preparation.
Thanks to the successful actions of the Defense Forces, the offensive operation of the Russian occupation troops in the Sumy direction failed. Zelenskyy said this during a meeting with the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metzola in Kyiv on September 17.
Having suffered huge losses, the Russians abandoned the offensive on Sumy and transferred their personnel and resources to the Donetsk region. Where, as the president emphasized, the enemy suffered even greater losses.
Since the enemy has lost a lot of personnel, he does not have enough strength to deliver strong blows in the two directions in which he is still trying to conduct offensive operations.
“I think that today they will not have enough strength for mass operations,” Zelenskyy noted.
As OBOZ.UA reported, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about Ukraine’s secret special operation on the territory of the Russian Federation. It was a response to Russian attacks on railway infrastructure, energy, and civilian facilities.