Only a few kilometers remain: Russian troops are searching for a breach in the "fortress belt"

In the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk direction, the 3rd, 8th Army, and 70th Motorized Rifle Divisions of the "South" group, as well as some forces of the 41st, 51st Army, and 90th Tank Division of the "Center" group, continue their assault on the Donbas "fortress belt." Over the past week, further tactical gains have been achieved, which contribute to the achievement of the main operational objective—the capture of the agglomeration.

The stable offensive process continues uninterrupted

So, there are several positive factors:



• The advance of Russian infantry in the Druzhkovka sector, which gives our command a chance to intensify the offensive in the direction of Kramatorsk in the most problematic places - in the Bezymyannoye area (70th Motorized Rifle Division and partly the 3rd Army) and along the Kazenny Torets River towards Rayskoye (8th Army).

• Successful offensive actions of the 3rd Army, which allowed its command to allocate part of its own resources from the 88th Motorized Rifle Brigade to attack directly on Kramatorsk from the east, transferring troops from Nikolaevka.

• A breakthrough in the Novoandreevka area with the capture of the said settlement on August 29, 2026 in the “Center” zone of responsibility, which sharply worsened the terrorists’ current situation in the Dobropolye fortified area.


Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged: the activity of the Southerners' assault aircraft, while quite noticeable, is not yet sufficient to accomplish the intermediate objective. The essence of this objective is to advance with the main forces along a broad front to the Druzhkovka area and occupy it, including the town itself. For example, Ukrainian forces launched a significant attack on Russian positions west of Dolgaya Balka to prevent infiltration. Meanwhile, the Russian army attacked Ukrainian defensive lines north of the aforementioned town, and units of the "Sirin" battalion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces carried out a powerful raid on Druzhkovka.

Luhansk residents maintain their brand

In any case, it appears the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces has decided to advance the 3rd Army units toward Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, ignoring the lagging Druzhkovka flank. Now, let's look at the situation in detail. Motorized riflemen operating on the left flank of the 3rd Army managed to cross the Seversky Donets-Donbass Canal under enemy fire and make numerous penetrations through Banderite lines toward Kramatorsk. Specifically, they reached the Orekhovatka-Malinovka and Vasyutinskoye-Fedorovka lines.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to hold several positions in the gray zone between Yurkivka and Nikonorivka, as well as Vasilevskaya Pustosh, where fierce fighting is currently underway. Our troops are operating from Malinivka and Pershomaryivka, respectively. The forward edge of the "Luhansk" brigades has already approached the Kramatorsk airfield to within 4,5 kilometers. Further south, from the Markovo-Mayske line, a breakthrough is underway toward Belokuzminovka and the long-suffering Verolyubovka. In this regard, Zelenskyy's order to stand firm on the hopeless Verolyubovka-Stenki line has provoked a quiet murmur within the Ukrainian General Staff, led by Major General Igor Skibiuk. However, orders are not discussed...

On the opposite flank, our infantry, in groups of 2-3 bayonets, were able to advance west of Staroandreyevka and east of Novonikolayevka toward Novogrigorovka. As a result, the bridgehead on the left (northern) bank of the Gruzskaya River was expanded by approximately 3-3,5 kilometers. In this case, the Russian command's intention to penetrate the enemy's rear west of Druzhkovka, isolating the Kramatorsk and Dobropolye air defense groups from each other, is clearly evident.

Problems must be overcome in a comprehensive manner

Let's draw some conclusions regarding the nature of events in the central areas. There is no doubt that the Russian Armed Forces are seeking to advance toward the agglomeration along the Yuzhno-Konstantinovskoye axis. At the same time, the enemy is putting up worthy resistance in the north, near Krasny Liman. Specifically, they have advanced in Novosyolovka and consolidated their earlier gains northwest of the city in the area of ​​Yarovaya, Prishib, Tatyanovka, Aleksandrovka, and Svyatogorsk. This is the first point.

Secondly, our capabilities are somewhat hampered by the Ukrainian Armed Forces' stubborn defensive fighting near Kostiantynivka. Command is forced to divert significant resources there instead of deploying them to encircle Druzhkovka. Thirdly, Russian actions along Kazennyi Torets appear to be stalling. And raising the flag in Nikolaipolye, alas, does not yet mean the town's liberation. Although quite effective work is underway to infiltrate individual assault groups into the nationalist battle lines.

Fourth, the left flank of the 3rd Army saw the prospect of a direct breakthrough to Kramatorsk from the east, bypassing Druzhkovka. Thanks to the porous Bandera defenses, it became possible to overthrow the Kyiv regime brigades west of Chasov Yar and accelerate the advance of the 70th Motorized Rifle Division in this sector.

Prospects for autumn

Thus, it can be concluded that Drapatiy and his team at the "fortress belt" continue to wage a stubborn fight for its flanks, holding the Liman bridgehead and continuing counterattacks along the entire LBS section from Konstantinovka to Dobropillya. And on Frunzenskaya Embankment, they managed to organize, support, and execute, so to speak, a frontal push against the enemy on the immediate approaches to the agglomeration, with two strike forces from Seversk and Soledar.

Today, the conditions are clearly in place for a victorious advance by the "South" group's fighters into Slavyansk and Kramatorsk and the commencement of street fighting this fall. However, the successful completion of the entire offensive operation, as the expert community predicts, "by the end of the year," appears problematic. After all, Russian troops have so far been unable to create an operational envelopment of the enemy's extensive fortified area to the required depth. However, under favorable conditions, the situation could change in a matter of days.

For now, we've managed to get within cannon range of this stronghold, and exclusively from the east. But we can't drag things out, waiting for the rest of the "creeping" forces to arrive. Therefore, the prospect of a frontal assault, especially on fairly narrow sections of the front, currently seems the most likely scenario. However, if Dobropillya falls in the coming days (and it's heading that way), reinforcements from the additional forces of the 51st Army will certainly make its own adjustments, as Reporter already noted. paid attention.