Ukrainian forces are reversing Russia’s attempted breakthrough near Dobropillia. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on 18 August that Russian troops are struggling to turn their limited infiltration into a deeper advance as Ukrainian counterattacks reclaim settlements and cut off the penetration base.

This comes as Russia continues its all-out war against Ukraine, focusing on capturing the rest of eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast. 

Ukrainian forces retake key settlements

Ukrainian military observer Kostyantyn Mashovets said Ukrainian troops had liberated Zapovidne (formerly Nykanorivka) and Dorozhnie, both southwest of Dobropillia. These villages were at the base of Russia’s push into the area. Geolocated footage published on 14 August and verified on 18 August shows Ukrainian forces detaining Russian soldiers in a windbreak southwest of Petrivka, northeast of Dobropillia. Additional footage published on 17 August shows Ukrainian troops raising a flag in Zolotyi Kolodyaz, confirming they had retaken the area after Russian forces previously entered it.

Russia unable to support or widen the penetration

ISW noted that Russian forces are struggling to turn their initial tactical gains into a wider breakthrough. Colonel Viktor Trehubov of Ukraine’s Dnipro Group of Forces said Ukrainian troops collapsed the Russian salient by cutting off infiltration elements from their main force, preventing supplies and reinforcements from reaching them.

Ukrainian flanks move faster than Russian forces

Mashovets reported that elements of Russia’s 150th Motorized Rifle Division, part of the 8th Combined Arms Army, attempted to bypass Volodymyrivka from the east. The move aimed to flank Ukrainian forces pressing on Russian units of the 51st Combined Arms Army between Zapovidne and Novotoretske. However, Ukrainian forces on the western side of the breach are advancing faster than Russian units in the east.

Russian brigades under pressure inside a narrow corridor

Mashovets said Russian forces inside the penetration — specifically the 5th, 110th, and 132nd Motorized Rifle Brigades — are fracturing under pressure and only holding a 2.5-kilometer-wide strip. A Russian milblogger warned the depth of the advance is too great for such a narrow width, making it vulnerable to counterattacks.

Russian focus shifts to another direction

ISW observed that Russian milbloggers are now focusing on the Rodynske direction, north of Pokrovsk and southeast of Dobropillia. This shift suggests a loss of confidence in the Dobropillia axis after failure to reinforce the original infiltration.