Russia has launched an intensified two-pronged assault in Ukraine’s east and northeast, hoping to secure key territorial gains before autumn.
The strategy is scattering Ukraine’s reserve troops and bringing the war dangerously close to a sixth Ukrainian region, as Kyiv battles critical supply shortages and awaits signs of support from the US and Europe before potential ceasefire negotiations.
With summer warfare at its peak, Russia has ramped up military offensives on two major fronts in Ukraine, targeting strategic cities and stretching Kyiv’s already thin resources.
Ukrainian troops are under heavy pressure in both the eastern Donetsk region and the northeastern Sumy region, where Moscow is making calculated moves to gain leverage before possible peace talks this autumn.
In the east, Russian forces are steadily advancing on the logistics hub of Pokrovsk, aiming to encircle the city and expand combat into the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region a sixth Ukrainian region that has remained largely untouched by frontline battles. Control of Pokrovsk would give Russia a major battlefield victory and bring them closer to claiming the entire Donetsk region, a long-standing goal.
Meanwhile, in Sumy, Ukrainian soldiers are fending off relentless attacks to lock down some of Russia’s most experienced troops, preventing them from reinforcing other fronts. The strategy has succeeded in holding up to 10,000 Russian troops in Russia’s Kursk region but at a steep cost. Ukrainian commanders say the operation has led to unnecessary loss of life, and the Russians have penetrated as far as 7 kilometers into northern Sumy.
Ukraine’s top commander, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, confirmed last week that Ukrainian forces launched a limited offensive into Russia’s Kursk region to keep 60,000 battle-hardened troops tied down and off the Donbas front. The hope, some analysts say, is to stall Moscow’s momentum and lay the groundwork for negotiations in the fall.
“The best-case scenario for Ukraine,” said Russian-British historian Sergey Radchenko, “is to stop the Russian advance in Donbas and then push for a ceasefire from a position of strength.”
On the ground, however, the situation is grim.
Ukrainian troops are struggling with a lack of manpower and dwindling supplies across the 1,200-kilometer front line. Drone warfare dominates the battlefield, and soldiers now rely on drone supply drops, with rotations becoming deadly amid constant surveillance and strikes.
“Our forces stay in combat zones for weeks.
There’s no room to rotate,” said Oleksii Makhrinskyi, deputy commander of the Da Vinci Wolves battalion. “We’re holding, but just barely.”
Ukrainian commanders warn that Russia’s ultimate goal is not just battlefield dominance but political leverage. By pushing into Dnipropetrovsk, even partially, Moscow could improve its hand in eventual talks with Kyiv.
“They’re really close to getting what they want,” said Andrii Nazerenko, a commander with Ukraine’s 72nd Brigade drone unit. “They want to walk into talks holding more territory than we can afford to lose.”
As the battles intensify, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is hoping for more clarity from US President Donald Trump, especially regarding additional sanctions on Russia and support for a proposed “reassurance force” a European-led deployment of foreign troops to Ukraine after a ceasefire. Zelenskyy is also pressing for a $30-per-barrel cap on Russian oil, a move he says could finally crack Russia’s war economy.
But support from Washington appears uncertain. The Pentagon recently froze some weapons shipments to Ukraine, citing concerns about US stockpile depletion. The two presidents reportedly discussed a weapons package, including Patriot missile systems, during last week’s NATO summit, but details remain vague.
Despite years of sanctions from the West, Russia’s war machine continues to churn. EU sanctions envoy David O’Sullivan admitted pressure must continue but also said Russia must be offered a diplomatic off-ramp if it shows willingness to negotiate something that hasn’t happened yet.
Some European allies are now waiting to see if Trump will back a multinational troop presence in Ukraine post-ceasefire likely Kyiv’s best security option short of NATO membership.
On the front lines, Ukrainian forces report a notable shift in Russian morale. Russian troops are advancing even under drone strikes, no longer retreating at the first sign of danger.
Nazerenko recalled asking a captured Russian soldier why he kept fighting, even with near-certain death looming.
“Because,” the soldier replied, “we will win.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
Follow us on:
