Russian Advance Puts Sloviansk, Kramatorsk 12 Km Away After 21 Sq Km August Gain
Updated
Updated · Euromaidan Press · Aug 22
Russian Advance Puts Sloviansk, Kramatorsk 12 Km Away After 21 Sq Km August Gain
2 articles · Updated · Euromaidan Press · Aug 22
Summary
21 square kilometers lost on this Donetsk front section in the third week of August has pushed Russian positions to within 12-13 kilometers of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, Ukrainian analysts said.
Oleksandr Kovalenko said Russia's 3rd Combined Arms Army is exploiting hilly terrain around the Cretaceous Flora reserve on a roughly 30-kilometer flank, where earlier stabilization efforts have failed.
That advance is now pressuring neighboring sectors along the southern bank of the Siverskyi Donets, including areas the 3rd Army Corps had helped stabilize near Lyman and Yampil.
More than 500 square kilometers have been lost on the unstable flank since June 2025, and Kovalenko warned infiltrations into both cities could begin by December 2026 if the pace is not slowed.
Kovalenko and Yurii Butusov urged rapid reinforcement, saying the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk hub is central to Ukraine's eastern defense and that losing it would endanger the wider Donbas line.
With Russian forces just 12 kilometers away, can Ukraine's reformed 3rd Army Corps halt the creeping infiltration before Sloviansk falls this winter?
Could Ukraine's relentless deep strikes on rear infrastructure starve the advancing Russian army before they manage to breach Kramatorsk?
The Battle for Donetsk: Russia’s 2026 Encirclement Offensive, Ukrainian Defense, and the Humanitarian Crisis in the Fortress Belt
Overview
In August 2026, Russian forces intensified their assault on Ukraine’s Fortress Belt, shifting tactics to infiltrate key areas like Mykolaivka and threatening to bypass water obstacles for direct attacks on Sloviansk. A rapid Russian breakthrough near Dobropillia endangered major supply roads and risked encircling Ukrainian defenders, as Russian troops used advanced drones to disrupt logistics. Despite suffering massive casualties for minimal territorial gains, Russia pressed on, aided by new drone technology and North Korean support. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s innovative drone strikes severely damaged Russian logistics and oil refining, but both sides faced mounting attrition, infrastructure destruction, and a deepening humanitarian crisis as the battle for Donetsk reached a critical point.