Russia and Ukraine push deep raids far behind enemy lines, blurring the front

The war in Ukraine has entered a new phase, marked not only by intensified mutual strikes on rear-area targets such as warehouses and businesses, but also by a shift in front-line tactics. Small assault units now attempt to slip undetected not just hundreds of meters but several kilometers — sometimes over 10 — into enemy-held territory. Because these groups need minimal supplies, they can operate independently of main forces, destabilizing enemy defenses and threatening drone operators. As a result, battle lines in many sectors have become intermixed, control over roads and settlements is unstable, and some villages change hands multiple times a week.

Kramatorsk direction

Russian forces continue pressing toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk from multiple directions. Having taken most of Kostiantynivka, they are now attempting to advance on Oleksiievo-Druzhkivka, though progress there has stalled over the past two weeks. East of Kostiantynivka, Russian troops opened a path into the rear of Ukrainian positions near Chasiv Yar, forcing a Ukrainian withdrawal. Farther along the canal, Russian units captured Vasyutynske, roughly 5-7 kilometers from Kramatorsk, though advances have since slowed. To the northwest, Russian forces pushing toward Druzhkivka captured Krasnyi Kut and reached Raiske, just 3-5 kilometers from the city. A separate Russian group is closing in on Dobropillia; Russia's Defense Ministry claims an assault there has begun, though this remains unconfirmed.

Donetsk-Zaporizhzhia-Dnipro junction

Along the stretch from Orikhiv to where the three regions meet, terrain features like steppe, tree lines, rivers, and ravines favor deep infiltration raids. On August 12-13, both sides staged competing "flag-planting" campaigns in the same villages to assert control, though it remains impossible to verify who actually holds these settlements. Ukrainian offensives in the Haichur and Mokri Yaly valleys slowed Russia's push toward Orikhiv for months, but Russian forces have now resumed their advance using infiltration tactics near Vozdvyzhenka, while the 58th Combined Arms Army broke through Ukrainian defenses near Novodanylivka from the south.

Kharkiv region

Fighting continues around the long-standing footholds at Vovchansk and Kupiansk. Russia only captured the ruins of Vovchansk in early 2026 and still has not fully taken Kupiansk, where Ukrainian forces recaptured the southern part and much of the center in a late-2025 offensive. After regrouping, Russian troops advanced again, reaching the Oskil River's eastern bank in places. Near Vovchansk, the redeployment of Ukrainian troops to Kupiansk weakened local defenses, allowing Russian units to infiltrate from two directions and threaten Bilyi Kolodiaz, a settlement key to supplying Ukrainian forces defending Kupiansk.