Overview
- Russian forces escalated attacks last week toward the Donetsk “Fortress Belt,” with Ukraine reporting more than 600 assaults over four days.
- Probes hit sectors near Sloviansk, Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka, and Sloviansk ordered children evacuated as Russian troops closed to about 20 kilometers east of the city.
- Ukraine is countering with drones and mid-range strikes that can hit logistics about 50 kilometers away, a shift commanders say helps slow and thin assault units, and follows officials’ claim they recaptured about 400 square kilometers last month.
- Analysts noted recent armored pushes in northern Donetsk and along the more open Zaporizhzhia front, yet wide drone use has curbed breakthroughs and forced seesaw fights.
- The push comes as U.S.-mediated talks stall and funds tighten for Kyiv, with attention diverted to the war in Iran, air-defense stocks stretched, and an EU loan blocked by Hungary.