All articles tagged with #donetsk
Russia proposed a six-hour local ceasefire in Kostiantynivka for July 6 (11:00–17:00) to facilitate the transfer of Ukrainian soldiers’ bodies, with Kyiv asked to respond by July 5; the move follows Russian claims of capturing the city, claims Kyiv and analysts say are misinformation, as Ukrainian forces continue to defend the area.
Ukraine conducted coordinated nighttime strikes hitting the occupied Crimea’s Gvardiyske airbase, two Donetsk bridges used to move troops and materiel, and three ammunition depots across Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson, as part of a broader effort to degrade Russian aviation and frontline logistics; the operation follows recent SBU and HUR drone strikes on Crimea airfields and fits within Zelensky’s ongoing campaign against Russian military capability.
In a televised address, Zelensky condemned Russian drone strikes on Zaporizhzhia targeting civilian transit and a missile strike on Dnipro that killed civilians, vowed Ukraine would respond with precision against Russia’s war machine, and highlighted Moscow’s repeated failures by noting Putin’s 15 deadlines to capture Donetsk have all been missed since 2022. He also outlined Ukraine’s energy and sanctions strategy with partners and urged international support to bring peace, while stressing that Kyiv’s actions aim at destroying Russia’s war machine, not civilians.
President Zelensky said Russia has moved 15 self-imposed deadlines to capture Ukraine’s Donetsk region since the 2022 invasion, with Moscow obsessively pursuing Donbas; Ukraine’s forces hold their positions and Zelensky warned the deadline would shift again unless Russia ends the war.
Zelenskyy says Russia has set 15 deadlines to capture Donetsk since the invasion, illustrating a repeated failure to seize the Donbas; he outlines a pattern of target dates from 2022 through 2025 and warns that further deadlines could bring more Russian casualties, while noting recent strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and ongoing defense coordination with partners, including a Danish drone deal.
Ukrainian counterattacks along the northern edge of the Russian-held Lyman salient have blunted Russia’s push toward the city and complicated plans to encircle Lyman, potentially delaying a northern assault on Sloviansk and Kramatorsk; meanwhile Russia’s southern route via Kostiantynivka faces stronger Ukrainian defense, with drone operations and counterlogistics threatening Moscow’s timetable.
Ukraine says it net gained about 100 square kilometers in May, boosting 2026 gains to over 600 sq km as heavy fighting continues in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia sectors. Kyiv reports extensive strikes on Russian targets and infrastructure, and its navy aided civilian shipping; analysts caution momentum remains mixed, with the second half of the year potentially decisive.
Ukraine says its drones hit Russian targets across occupied Crimea and Donetsk Oblast overnight, including two Pantsir air-defense systems, a Russian Army Corps command post in Shyrokyne, and a tugboat, as part of a broader middle-strike campaign aimed at degrading Moscow’s logistics.
A senior Ukrainian commander, Brig. Gen. Andriy Biletsky, says Kyiv has about six to nine months to seize the battlefield initiative and push Russia back, arguing Moscow’s forces are exhausted and Ukraine can leverage momentum around key fronts like Donetsk and the Fortress Belt to negotiate from a position of strength. The conflict is marked by Ukraine’s use of unmanned systems and long-range strikes, Starlink cutoffs affecting Russian comms, and observers noting fatigue on both sides as a potential turning point approaches.
Ukraine said its forces overnight May 21-22 struck multiple Russian targets across occupied Ukraine and inside Russia, including air-defense systems, command posts, drone-control centers and ammunition depots, along with troop concentrations and river crossings in Bryansk and Kursk regions. Notable hits included an Osa air-defense system in occupied Donetsk, drone-control points in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, depots in Velyka Novosilka and Rovenky, a command center near Voskresenka, and a refinery attack in Russia’s Yaroslavl region.
Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces and the Security Service of Ukraine say they hit a Russian drone training and production facility in occupied Donetsk, destroying workshops, ammo stocks, and armored vehicles and killing at least 65 personnel, in a move aimed at disrupting UAV training and logistics for frontline units.
Russia intensified attacks across Ukraine, with 19 strikes in Donetsk and 833 in Zaporizhzhia, leaving at least three dead and 17 injured. A drone attack killed a resident in Sumy, and an assault damaged a hospital and other civilian sites in Odesa, as authorities report widespread damage and displacement amid stalled US-led peace negotiations.
Ukrainian drones struck a Russian FSB command post in occupied Donetsk, killing 12 officers, as Kyiv Independent’s weekly update on occupied Ukraine reports seven torture chambers for Zaporizhzhia staff, the return of over 2,100 abducted Ukrainian children, Russia’s population-replacement housing scheme in Mariupol with about 75% of new buyers Russians, ongoing mass graves destruction near Mariupol, intensified coastal mining in Crimea, and rising Telegram outages hindering communication with occupied areas.
Russia launched a large-scale aerial assault on Ukraine, firing missiles and hundreds of drones that hit Dnipro and other regions. At least 10 people were killed and about 67 injured, with air defences intercepting many weapons while rescue services warn of possible further casualties.
Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces and the Azov Brigade say a drone strike on a Russian FSB command post in occupied Donetsk killed 12 officers and wounded 15 in eight precision strikes; the report also notes other Ukrainian drone operations against Russian facilities and related wartime developments, including a Tuapse oil refinery fire and the expansion of the Brave1 ePoints rewards system for battlefield actions.