Russia Seizes Town Amid Wave of Front-Line Advances

Russian forces have captured a town and advanced in key areas of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, according to reports that come amid an assessment that Moscow's tactics had changed across the entire front line.

"The enemy captured Vovche and advanced in Yasnobrodivka, Krasnohorivka, near Dibrova and Zhelanne," read the Telegram post of pro-Ukrainian channel DeepState, which maps the state of play on the front line.

Next to an image of the front line map showing the reported Russian gains, according to DeepState, pro-Kyiv X user Jürgen Nauditt posted, "the situation in some parts of the front worsened."

Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian Defense Ministry for comment.

Some of the Russian advances were noted by the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) which said that Moscow's forces were trying to exert pressure across the front line to prevent Ukraine from seizing the initiative.

The think tank said on Friday that the Russian military had expanded the area of responsibility (AOR) in which its Central Grouping of Forces was operating in the Donetsk region.

This suggested that Moscow had changed its previous tactic for the grouping to act simply as a "maneuver force in the Avdiivka direction" where Russian forces have advanced toward but where rapid tactical gains are unlikely.

The ISW said earlier this week that Ukraine had stopped a mechanized assault by Russian forces near Kostiantynivka with Moscow losing a significant amount of equipment.

Amid a push to capture the strategic city of Pokrovsk, Russia is pressing along an arc of three key points in Donetsk region—Chasiv Yar, just west of Bakhmut, which Russia captured in the spring of 2023, the city of Toretsk and areas west of Ocheretyne.

Although it suffered a high cost in personnel and equipment, Russia had made limited gains with its reinvasion of the Kharkiv region in May but the offensive near the border with Ukraine did manage to divert Ukrainian resources.

This was described by a battalion commander of Ukraine's 47th brigade who told The Washington Post that Russian forces are "almost at the point of capturing the Donetsk region."

"Their first objective is to destroy us," said the soldier named Oleksandr, "the second is to push us so that they can get more leverage for peace talks."

Ukraine's General Staff has said the "hottest situation" remained near Pokrovsk while other Ukrainian commanders and soldiers interviewed by the Post said there was a lack of troops and resources as well as failures in leadership decisions.

Reinforcements have not yet emerged following Kyiv's new mobilization law, and one sergeant with the call sign "Bart" said there was "serious chaos" on the front line.

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