Fighting Slows in Eastern Ukraine as Ceasefire Talks Continue
Whether the decrease in Russian assaults is a result of war fatigue or a strategic decision on the Kremlin’s part to hold back while peace negotiations are taking place remains to be seen.
There is progress in the talks to end the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian government has agreed to a tentative 30-day ceasefire, and the ball is in Russia’s court to respond.
But while talks go on, the fighting also continues. The Russian military continues to be on the offensive in several sectors of the contact line.
Fighting Continues Along the Contact Line
“Russian forces are applying increased pressure on Ukrainian forces in the Kursk salient, Russia, from the west, north and east,” the British Ministry of Defence assessed in an intelligence estimate earlier this week.
Despite the Russian pressure against the salient, the Ukrainian forces continue to hold approximately 115 square miles (about 300 square kilometers) of territory inside Russia. However, by this point, maintaining the salient offers little more than a distraction. To be sure, the Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk Oblast has diverted more than 50,000 Russian troops from the fighting inside Ukraine. And though there is little chance that Ukraine could end the war in control of the salient, it could serve as a useful bargaining chip in negotiations.
Overall, the tempo of the fighting is not as intense as it was in previous months. The Russian forces have slowed down, and are not attacking at the same rate they had been attacking in the past several months.
“Russian forces continue to conduct fewer offensive operations elsewhere on the frontline compared to late 2024 and early 2025,” the British Ministry of Defence added.
Whether the decrease in Russian assaults is a result of war fatigue or a strategic decision on the Kremlin’s part to hold back while peace negotiations are taking place remains to be seen.
“In the vicinity of Pokrovsk, Russia’s primary operational focus, Ukrainian forces have launched a number of counterattacks near Pischane, Udachne, Sehvchenko, and south of Kutyre, which lies on the logistical highway, the T-05-06,” the British Ministry of Defence stated.
Pokrovsk is an important logistical hub in the Donbas region in southeastern Ukraine. If the city were to fall to the hands of the Russian military, Ukrainian defensive and offensive operations in that sector of the battlefield would be seriously inhibited. The Russian military has been trying to capture Pokrovsk for months; though it has made gains in approaching the city, it has also lost tens of thousands of troops killed and wounded in the process.
“Opportunities for Ukrainian counteroffensive have been improved by the reduced number of ground offensives being carried out by Russia. Russian logistics supply lines on the Pokrovsk axis have also been degraded by Ukrainian First Person View Uncrewed Aerial System attacks,” the British Ministry of Defence concluded in its intelligence assessment of the fighting.
Both Russia and Ukraine Have Suffered Heavy Losses
Meanwhile, the Russian forces continue to take heavy casualties on the ground. Over the past 24 hours, the Russian military, paramilitary units, and pro-Russian separatist forces lost approximately 1,430 troops killed and wounded, according to the latest data from the Ukrainian military. Overall, the Russian forces have lost almost 890,000 troops in three years of fighting.
In addition, the Russian forces lost approximately 111 unmanned aerial systems, 69 tactical vehicles and fuel trucks, 45 artillery guns and multiple launch rocket systems, 7 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, 3 main battle tanks, and 2 pieces of special equipment.
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
Image: Shutterstock / Alim Yakubov.