Ukraine Destroys Russian Pokrovsk Army HQ After Hacking Security Cameras

Having failed to take Pokrovsk - or anyplace else - during its highly touted but once again hugely disappointing summer offensive, Russia is now purportedly preparing yet another 'massive' force for yet another 'final battle.' Pardon our cynicism. 

But Ukraine is well aware of the Kremlin's plans and has been preparing. It is surging its own additional troops to the area - and, perhaps more importantly - has taken the initiative to attack Russian headquarters, supply and troop concentrations. To that end, Ukrainian forces yesterday - September 8th - launched a concentrated missile and drone attack on Russian logistics and headquarters, destroying the command center of the field army responsible for Pokrovsk as well as that of a motor rifle division. It also wiped out an armor storage depot. The Ukrainians located these crucial nodes by hacking into Russian security cameras so it could track the assembling forces - and then strike them. JL

David Axe reports in Trench Art and RFU News reports:

Russia is massing troops and tanks around Pokrovsk. While Ukraine surge reserves into the Pokrovsk sector, the Ukrainians are bombarding the Russians with drones and cruise missiles, targeting staging bases for Russian forces. Ukraine uncovered the Russian buildup by hacking into security camera networks near Russian bases. Ukraine unleashed missiles and drones, devastating convoys before they could reach the battlefield. Ukraine struck multiple command posts of the Russian army in Donetsk Oblast in a night assault. Cruise missiles destroyed command centers of the Russian 41st Army and 20th Motor Rifle Division. Footage and photos captured large columns of smoke and shattered buildings

Russia is massing troops and tanks around the besieged fortress city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast, building up heavy forces for what Ukrainian drone operator Kriegsforscher described as a “last, final battle” for the east.

But Ukraine isn’t just waiting around for Russia to attack. While the Ukrainian ground forces surge reserves into the Pokrovsk sector, the Ukrainian air force, drone branch and special services are bombarding the gathering Russian troops with drones and cruise missiles.

On Monday, the Ukrainians targeted the defunct Topaz metal plant on the eastern edge of Donetsk City, 30 miles southeast of Pokrovsk. The plant is well-known as a staging base for Russian forces moving toward the Donetsk front line.

A barrage of aerial munitions pummeled Topaz. Photos and videos from the plant confirmed no fewer than three different types of munitions. It seems the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces or special services struck Topaz with propeller-driven An-196 and, potentially, Morok attack drones, while the air force launched locally made Bars or Peklo cruise missiles as well as British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles. 

 

Ukrainian forces uncovered the massive Russian buildup by hacking into security camera networks near key Russian bases, discovering huge forces being amassed for the next wave of the offensive operation. Acting immediately, Ukrainians unleashed all available missiles and drones, devastating the convoys before they could ever reach the battlefield. 

 

On 8 September, Ukrainian forces launched a powerful combined missile and drone strike, targeting Russian military command structures in Donetsk — a regional capital in eastern Ukraine, occupied by Russia since 2014. OSINT analysts and local sources confirmed the destruction of key command centers belonging to the Russian 41st Army and 20th Motor Rifle Division.

Amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, this is not the first time Ukraine has targeted Moscow’s military command structures in Donetsk. Several high-profile strikes also occurred in previous months. In June, a Ukrainian missile strike on the command post of Russia’s 8th Army in the city resulted in the elimination of the group’s chief of communications. Disrupting Russian command and control in Donetsk Oblast remains critical, as Moscow has for months prioritized seizing full control of the oblast.

Ukrainian missiles strike Russian command HQs in occupied Donetsk

Ukrainian defense news site Militarnyi reported that Ukraine’s Defense Forces struck multiple command posts of the Russian occupying army in Donetsk Oblast in a coordinated night assault. OSINT analysts CyberBoroshno and Dnipro Osint confirmed that Ukrainian cruise missiles hit headquarters at both army and divisional level.

 

One of the identified targets was the command post of Russia’s 41st Army, which had been hidden inside the Institute of Integrated Automation in Donetsk. The analysts did not specify the exact location of the 20th Motor Rifle Division’s headquarters, but confirmed it was also struck during the same attack.

In addition to those two major targets, Ukrainian drones reportedly attacked a third Russian-controlled military site — the Topaz plant. This facility, previously used by Russian forces to house command elements, suffered heavy structural damage.

According to analysts, an army-level headquarters was located inside the Topaz site as well, though its exact affiliation remains unknown.

Local footage shows scale of destruction at Russian-occupied Topaz plant

Footage and photos from local Telegram channels captured large columns of smoke rising over Donetsk and visible Russian air defense activity during the attack. The images, showing shattered buildings at the Topaz factory, confirmed that the site sustained serious damage.

 

CyberBoroshno reported that Russia has used the Topaz plant to station its equipment and military infrastructure since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Due to this, the factory has repeatedly been a target for Ukrainian precision strikes.

The last Russian push toward Dobropillia ended in disaster, as understrength formations rushed in without proper artillery or armor support and were torn apart in a devastating Ukrainian ambush. Now the Kremlin is trying again; this time Russia is redeploying full-strength brigades meant to spearhead through the Ukrainian encirclement.

The main force is led by the 155th and 40th Naval Infantry Brigades, with airborne units from the 11th Brigade and elements of the 76th Division joining the push, originating from the Kursk, Bakhmut, and Kherson sectors. These are units that Russia has leaned on before to make high-risk breakthroughs; the 155th in particular has had to be reconstituted at least thirteen times, most recently after disastrous losses at Kursk, making it one of the most repeatedly shattered units of the war. As Russian offensive efforts in these sectors are stalling, their success is being sacrificed and their forces redirected to the Pokrovsk front, trying to salvage a losing battle now unfolding at the Dobropillia salient.

Ukraine is not waiting for this second wave to reach the front; just like with the earlier ambush, they are intercepting Russians in transit. Ukrainian cyber teams have been tasked with hacking into Russian traffic and security camera systems across occupied regions. This gives Ukrainian forces real-time visual data on Russian convoy routes, timing, and staging areas, without having to rely on satellite or drone surveillance.

Once spotted, loitering munitions like the RAM2X are launched to intercept Russian vehicles in transit, hitting them before they can reach the front. These are compact drones designed for convoy ambushes, capable of identifying moving vehicles, circling overhead, and then diving directly onto soft targets with devastating precision.

Over the past week, Russian channels have repeatedly complained about these strikes, particularly in the Donetsk region. The videos show multiple trucks and armored vehicles being hit while in transit, often in areas far behind the frontline. For Russia, this is a serious problem: reinforcements are being lost before they can even enter combat, and unlike shelling or drone attacks near the front, these strikes are taking place in the deep rear zones previously assumed to be safe.

Those that do survive the redeployment face a second wave of attacks, as Ukrainian units are now launching coordinated clearing operations the moment new Russian troops arrive in rushed fashion.

Footage from the 93rd mechanized Brigade shows Ukrainian scouts advancing into a contested village under the cover of a T80BVM tank, flushing out remaining Russian defenders and methodically clearing the area. The tank does not just provide firepower; it also acts as mobile cover for advancing infantry, allowing them to move through open areas and clear buildings at close range. Once the area is secured, follow-on elements move in to stabilize the line.

Then comes the third phase, rapid assault by elite formations, as footage from the Azov Brigade’s Spear Group shows them advancing under fire in tight formation, pushing through tree lines and debris fields to reach enemy strongpoints. The footage shows that they do not engage in drawn-out firefights, instead moving rapidly under close coordination with each other and drone overwatch, using aggression and overwhelming force to break what remains of the Russian line.

Overall, Ukraine is no longer waiting for Russian offensives to form, as reinforcements are now seen as not a future threat but as targets in motion, tracked and intercepted before they reach the front. This shift is powered by real-time surveillance, drone integration, and the hacking of traffic and security cameras in occupied zones.

Because so many forces are destroyed on the move, Russians do not have the ability to concentrate their units for a large breakthrough, as waiting too long for a large group to gather would just invite additional Ukrainian strikes. Essentially, Russia’s offensive is being dismantled on the road, and Ukraine is striking faster than Russia can regroup, and the survivors efficiently cleared out.

The missiles and drones zoomed in one after another, in quick succession.