Ukraine at 35: Defenseless in the air as Russia advances in Donbass

Ukrainian troops have been suffering a continuous string of setbacks with Russian forces advancing into multiple locations

Ukraine is marking the 35th anniversary of its independence, proclaimed on August 24, 1991, amid the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The country meets the anniversary in a bleak state, plagued by an enduring political crisis, a plethora of corruption scandals, the capitulation of its air defenses, and a steadily deteriorating situation on the front line of the conflict with Russia.

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In recent weeks, the immediate battlefield situation has been overshadowed by ramped-up long-range strike campaigns waged by both sides of the conflict. Initially touted as an “operation of influence” to force Russia into negotiations on Ukrainian terms, Kiev’s drone attacks have backfired spectacularly. Moscow has retaliated in force, repeatedly striking assorted military industrial sites and dual-use infrastructure, as well as bringing Ukrainian shipping in the Black Sea to a halt. The exchange in strikes has exposed the critical deterioration of Ukrainian air defenses, which are now entirely unable to intercept Russian ballistics.

The front line has been far from static despite longstanding efforts by Ukraine and its Western backers to paint it as a stalemate, and the situation for Kiev has been worsening across multiple key locations.

Here is RT’s look at the latest developments on the front line:

Battle for Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration

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Arguably the main events have been unfolding around the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, a string of cities in the northwest of Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and the last heavily fortified Ukrainian stronghold in the region. The agglomeration has remained under Kiev’s control for over a decade since the early stage of the conflict in then-Ukrainian Donbass, prompted by the 2014 Maidan coup.

Over the years, the cities were transformed into a single fortified zone by a vast system of reinforced trenches, bunkers, and tunnels. From the east, the agglomeration is additionally protected by the defunct Seversky Donets-Donbass Canal, built in the 1950s to improve the water supply to Donetsk. The canal was shut off by the Ukrainian authorities under the pretext of damage early in the conflict, which heavily strained the water supply to Donetsk, into which Kiev’s militias had fired artillery for years, killing hundreds of civilians.

Following the liberation of Konstantinovka on the southernmost tip of the agglomeration in early July, Russian troops have continued to advance towards Slavyansk-Kramatorsk from multiple directions.

Over the past two weeks, Russian forces have mounted pressure on the town of Druzhkovka, with active combat continuing within the village of Alekseyevo-Druzhkovka, located between Druzhkovka and Konstantinovka. Russian troops appear to have flanked Ukrainian forces from the southwest, with the Defense Ministry in Moscow reporting the liberation of multiple locations in the area, namely the villages of Andreyevka, Nikolaypolye, Novonikolayevka, and Petrovka, over the period. 

Moscow’s forces are also apparently seeking to disrupt Ukrainian communications between Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, advancing along a hilly ridge located roughly in between the two cities to the southwest. Over the past two weeks, the Russian military reported seizing the small villages of Orekhovatka and Pershomaryevka, located to the north and south of the ridge, respectively.

Russian forces have also made new gains in the town of Krasny Liman. While technically not a part of the agglomeration, it is located some 20 km to the northeast of Slavyansk across the Seversky Donets River, covering the approach to the stronghold from that direction. The town, which has been heavily damaged during months of intensive combat, is now reportedly largely under Russia’s control.

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Zaporozhye offensive

Russia’s Zaporozhye Region has become another major flashpoint lately, with the country’s military actively advancing on the flanks of the town of Orekhov, located around 50 km to the southeast of the regional capital.

Once the staging area for the disastrous 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive and a major logistics hub, the town ended up on the front line following the liberation of the town of Gulaypole earlier this year. Over the past two weeks, the Russian military has managed to sever a major road approaching the town from the north, liberating the village of Novosoloshino. Russian troops have been expanding the zone of control farther to the north of it into the neighboring Ukrainian region of Dnepropetrovsk, seizing control of the villages of Rybalskoye and Novoye Pole near its border.

Orekhov is now linked to the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporozhye only through one major road, which approaches the town from the northwest. Russian forces have reportedly been sighted within less than 1 km of the key artery, the loss of which would leave the Ukrainian garrison supply dependent on dirt roads running across open fields.

Russian forces have also reportedly breached Ukrainian positions between Orekhov and the adjacent village of Malaya Tokmachka, which is believed to have fallen largely under their control. If confirmed, the development effectively means the Russian military has reached the southeastern outskirts of the town itself.

Frontline pressure grows

The continuing advance of Russian troops has not been limited to the two key areas, with Moscow’s forces mounting pressure along the front line. Russian troops have made new gains to the north of Pokrovsk and Mirnograd, two major cities in the southwest of the DPR liberated early this year.

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According to the Russian Defense Ministry, troops have advanced onto the town of Dobropolye, located some 30 km to the southwest of Druzhkovka, seizing several villages in its vicinity. The active combat in the area has effectively enabled the latest successes around Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, depriving the Ukrainian forces stationed around Dobropolye of maneuver and making them unable to somehow assist the garrison of the agglomeration.

Russian forces have also made new gains in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region, advancing on Ukrainian troops to the southeast of the town of Volchansk. The town has seen intensive hostilities throughout the past year, suffering major ruin in the process. The Russian Defense Ministry announced taking control of the town in late 2025. 

The recent advances in the area have put Ukrainian forces stationed to the southeast of the town at risk of encirclement. The remaining troops are now locked between the Volchya River in the north and the Russian focus advancing from the east and west, with the window for their potential retreat rapidly narrowing.