In a recent interview, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba impressively described how difficult it is for Ukrainian soldiers to advance at the moment. “Sometimes soldiers have to crawl 200 to 300 meters a day to open a corridor for advancing forces,” he explained. Furthermore, fighters encountered elaborately protected Russian defense systems and were targeted from the air.
“Our troops are suffering a lot because they don’t have weapons to shoot down helicopters and fighter jets,” said the Ukrainian chancellor. However, he put Conversation with “Bild”, “Politico” and “Welt” also states: “The most important thing is that we made progress despite all the difficulties.”
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More precisely, Ukrainians are moving in seven sections of the front stretching from northern Luhansk Oblast to Kherson Oblast on the Black Sea. But what is the situation in each case – and why are these particular sections so hotly contested? A look at the struggles from village to village, from city to city.
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1 Kreminna, Luhansk
At the northernmost point of the counter-offensive, Ukrainian troops are increasingly attacking the border between Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. The most intense fighting is reported near Ploshchanka, which is right on the P66 expressway between Swatowe and Kreminna.
The expressway is one of Russia’s main supply routes into eastern Ukraine. Apparently, the aim of the Ukrainians is to stop them. Fierce fighting is also taking place in the region around Lyman, but without any significant changes to the frontline.
According to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the situation there is currently the most complicated, as Russian troops carry out most of their offensive operations there. So far, however, there have likely been no major territorial gains for the Russians.
A Ukrainian soldier in a trench near Kremmina. © AFP/Anatoly Stepanov
2 Bakhmut, Donetsk
Russian military bloggers report that in southwestern Bakhmut, near Klishchiivka, the Ukrainians advanced more than a kilometer and reached the city limits of Bakhmut. Satellite images also show Ukrainian troops advancing on the E40 highway northwest of the city. Russian reinforcements are said to be on their way now.
Ukrainian troops are also advancing south of Bakhmut, reports Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malijar. There should have been up to 1.5 kilometers. The almost completely destroyed city of Bakhmut is of more symbolic than strategic importance for Ukraine. Retaking them, at least in part, would undo the only real success Russian troops have had in recent months.
A problem for Russian troops may be that they can no longer count on the support of Wagner’s fighters. Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mercenaries were primarily responsible for taking Bakhmut.
He has not seen any “meat grinder” attacks since Wagner’s troops left the area, reports Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the Ukrainian East Command. Instead of such attacks with human “cannon fodder”, the Russians relied on reconnaissance missions and attacks with smaller units.
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3 Avdiivka, Donetsk
The importance of the front at Avdiivka is quickly recognizable: it is directly opposite Donbass’ largest city, Donetsk. Should Ukrainian troops advance to the city limits, this would not only have immense strategic importance in the war, but above all political. After all, Donetsk is the biggest city that Russia has illegally controlled since 2014.
The frontline is currently only a few kilometers outside the city limits. According to geolocalized images, Ukraine is advancing that way, but without managing To large gains in area towards the city. Soldiers of the Russian-recognized People’s Republic of Donetsk defend the city limits.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense also described the situation there as particularly complicated, probably due to the numerical inferiority of the Donetsk People’s Republic troops.
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4 Wuhledar, Donetsk
Ukrainian and Russian troops have been fighting fiercely for months around Wuhledar. Like Bakhmut, the city is largely destroyed and has symbolic value due to the extent of the fighting. It is also strategically important because a railway line connecting Crimea and Donetsk runs close to the city.
The Russian Ministry of Defense recently announced that a Ukrainian attack in the area could be repulsed. However, geotagged photos show Ukrainian troops gaining a foothold southwest of Wuhledar over the weekend. This means that Kiev’s troops are just ten kilometers from a strategically important road linking southern and eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy poses with soldiers during a visit to the frontline town of Wuhledar. © Imago/Ukrainian Presidential Office
5 Velyka Novosilka, Donetsk
At the end of last week, Ukrainian troops were already advancing on the border between Zaporizhia and Donetsk oblasts, taking, among other things, the town of Rivnopil near the settlement of Velyka Novosilka.
According to the US Institute for War Studies (ISW), a Russian source reported over the weekend that Ukrainian troops had advanced as far as Pryutne. The site is located almost ten kilometers south of Rivnopil. Staromajorske, east of Pryjutne, is also contested. One village after another, instead of great advances – this is what characterizes the current approach in Ukraine.
Apparently, Kiev’s goal is to break through from Donetsk and Zaporizhia to the Black Sea in order to divide Russian troops in the south-east of the country and thereby cut off part of the supply. That could force Moscow’s military to withdraw from much of southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian soldiers fire a missile in the region of Zaporizhia. © Portal/Serhii Nuzhnenko
6 Orikhiv, Zaporizhia
In the Zaporizhia region, fighting takes place mainly around the city of Orikhiv. From there, too, Ukrainian troops apparently want to push east towards the Black Sea. However, Russian troops are prepared for this. In recent months, dozens of defense lines have been dug along the way.
Orikhiv is an important center with three roads running through the city towards Mariupol, Berdyansk and Melitopol. The latter is the main supply center for Russians to Crimea, in southern Ukraine.
Ukraine already holds positions a few kilometers south of Orikhiv in the direction of Tokmak. It is said that the Russian defense lines are particularly strong there. According to Russian sources, the Ukrainians already control the first line of defense south of Orikhiv.
The mine problem is obviously the biggest in Ukraine here. After all, a few weeks ago, Ukrainian troops had to abandon about 25 tanks, combat vehicles and technical vehicles here in the village of Mala Tokmachka, a few kilometers south of Orikhiv.
Images of the destroyed Leopard and Bradley tanks went around the world – and were celebrated by the Russian propaganda machine. The Ukrainians now control Mala Tokmachka and are repairing some of the tanks left behind.
More on the war in Ukraine:
Ukraine’s counter-offensive A new front and an almost insurmountable problem Prigozhin supporters Who Wagner’s boss relied on in his rebellion Cracks in the system What happens if Russia’s nuclear weapons fall into the wrong hands?
7 Oleshky, Kherson
Perhaps the most important advance recently was made by the Ukrainians on the Antonivka Bridge in Kherson. After months of conducting reconnaissance missions on the Dnipro River, troops appeared to have established a permanent beachhead on the east bank of the river last week.
While Russian authorities report that they have expelled Ukrainian troops again, geolocated photos show how some of the initially more than 100 troops are in Datschi, directly on the Dnipro. Due to the success of electronic warfare, Russian soldiers apparently still find it difficult to attack Ukrainian positions with drones.
Nothing is known about further attempts by the Ukrainians to attack Russian positions in the town of Oleshky, a few kilometers from the Konka River. Russian military bloggers assume that Moscow troops have already mined the bridge over the Konka River, in case the Ukrainians dare to advance.