Russia deploys drones to halt Ukrainian counterattack near Dobropillia - ISW
Russia is attempting to use drones to block the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ counteroffensive near Dobropillia (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
Ukrainian forces are successfully holding the line near Dobropillia in the Donetsk region. However, the Russian army is attempting to breach their defenses using drones, reports the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
On August 15, the command of the Ukrainian corps operating in the Pokrovsk direction reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) had cleared the settlements of Hruzke, Rubizhne, Novovodyane, Petrivka, Vesele, and Zolotyi Kolodiaz, located northeast of Dobropillia.
Additionally, a source linked to Ukrainian military intelligence stated on the same day that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had partially stabilized the line along Vesele–Zolotyi Kolodiaz–Kucheriv Yar, also northeast of Dobropillia.
Meanwhile, Russian military bloggers claim that Russian forces achieved tactical gains near the Dobropillia–Kramatorsk highway and advanced in Volodymyrivka and Shakhove. ISW has not confirmed this information.
The ISW report also notes that the Russian military command is attempting to redeploy forces and equipment to break through in the Dobropillia area, but so far without success.
At the same time, the Ukrainian side continues evacuating settlements near the zone of Russian incursions, which likely confirms the growing threat posed by Russian drones in the Dobropillia area. On August 14, Vadym Filashkin, head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, announced the mandatory evacuation of families with children from Druzhkivka (northeast of Dobropillia) and villages in the Andriivka community. He noted that approximately 1,800 children live in these settlements.
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported on the advancement of the Ukrainian Armed Forces along a key section of the front - the Lyman direction. Russian sources also published unconfirmed information about their progress, but ISW had no evidence to support this.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also highlighted the successes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Dobropillia and Pokrovsk directions, calling these areas the most challenging sections in the Donetsk region. On August 15, the president stated that Russian attempts to demonstrate strength near Dobropillia resulted in heavy Russian losses.
Zelenskyy promised that the defense along the Dobropillia direction and other parts of the front in the Donetsk region would be further reinforced.
