Ukrainian forces successfully repelled a Russian assault near the town of Ulakly in southeastern Donetsk Oblast over the weekend. While the battle may seem minor, it could carry greater strategic significance, reports war correspondent David Axe. Surveillance footage from Ukraine’s Tivaz artillery group documented about 10 destroyed and abandoned Russian vehicles in the failed attack.

“This failed assault represents one of several in the southeastern corner of Donetsk Oblast in recent days and may signal the failure of the Russian offensive in the area,” Axe believes.

The Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies (CDS) assesses that heavy losses and prolonged fighting have left Russian forces unable to pursue Ukraine’s Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group units. These units are currently repositioning from Velyka Novosilka, a key defensive position at the intersection of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts.

Just two weeks ago, Russian forces seized Velyka Novosilka, raising fears of a breakthrough.

Now, as Axe writes, “a Russian breakthrough appears unlikely.”

According to CDS, Russia lacks the troops, funding, and resources to push toward Zaporizhzhia or Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts.

“The Russian military has objectively failed. And they do not have the strength to ever recover from the degree to which they have failed,” analyst Andrew Perpetua states.

These battlefield developments come as US President Donald Trump pushes Ukraine to transfer half of its rare earth mineral rights in exchange for past military aid. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has carefully managed negotiations, Axe reports, despite this pressure. Publicly, he praises Trump, but privately, he refuses to sign the “misspelled, exploitative” deal.

Tatarigami of Ukrainian Frontelligence Insight commends Zelenskyy’s approach, stating, “He has handled negotiations very well. The only way for Trump to achieve peace is through a fair deal with guarantees for Ukraine.”

Military analyst Andrew Perpetua adds that Ukraine has enough funding to last through 2025 and into 2026, with sufficient weapons and ammunition for most of 2025.

This resilience, Axe notes, gives Zelenskyy leverage—allowing him to “politely say no to Trump while his troops continue killing and maiming hundreds of Russians every day.”

Read more:

• TWZ: Ukraine knocks out Russia’s newest S-350 Vityaz in Donetsk, exposing gaps in Kremlin’s air defenses
• Forbes: Ukraine wipes out two Russian drone operators with HIMARS, borrowing US Afghan tactics
• Frontline report: Ukrainian precision counterstrikes near Pokrovsk exhausted Russian forces to breaking point