At Pokrovsk In August, Ukraine Re-Took 5 Times More Ground Than It Lost

There are increasing reports of Ukrainian forces counterattacking across the front line, but particularly in the Pokrovsk sector, where much of the heaviest fighting continues to occur. 

This suggests that the Russians are also suffering from troop shortages, exacer bated by inadequate artillery and armor support which the Ukrainians are exploiting opportunistically. JL

Kateryna Hodunova reports in the Kyiv Independent:

Ukrainian forces lost five square kilometers but regained control of 26 square kilometers in the Pokrovsk sector in Donetsk Oblast in August. A similar ratio of lost and regained territory was observed near the town of Dobropillia, where Russian forces made a short-lived but dramatic advance in early August through the use of infiltration tactics. The news reflects an increased frequency of counterattacking operations on the Ukrainian side, which has been in a strategic defensive posture along the front line in eastern Ukraine for almost two years.

Ukrainian forces lost five square kilometers but regained control of 26 square kilometers in the Pokrovsk sector in Donetsk Oblast in August, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a Sept. 7 statement on Facebook.

Throughout the summer campaign, Russian forces prioritized operations around Pokrovsk, deploying sabotage and reconnaissance units that briefly entered the city but were ultimately repelled.

According to Syrskyi, a similar ratio of lost and regained territory was observed near the town of Dobropillia, where Russian forces made a short-lived but dramatic advance in early August through the use of infiltration tactics.

Syrskyi did not specify the exact number of square kilometers lost or reclaimed in that sector.

 

"The Pokrovsk axis remains one of the most challenging. Over the past week, our units have repelled approximately 350 enemy attacks," Syrskyi said.

"This is where Russian forces have concentrated their main efforts, assembling their largest offensive grouping in an attempt to break through our defenses," Syrskyi added.

A map of Russian forces' advances around the cities of Pokrovsk, Dobropillia, and Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast over summer 2025. (Nazar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent)

The news reflects an increased frequency of counterattacking operations on the Ukrainian side, which has been in a strategic defensive posture along the front line in eastern Ukraine for almost two years.

These counterattacks are commonly led by units of Ukraine's Assault Forces, a new branch of the Armed Forces established by Syrskyi on Aug. 18.

In the first days of September, Ukraine's 425th Assault Regiment, better known as Skelia, reported to have cleared two villages around Pokrovsk of Russian forces: Novoekonomichne and Udachne.

Russia has continued to intensify its ground offensives in eastern Ukraine, concentrating the bulk of its forces in the Pokrovsk sector in an effort to seize the key logistics hub.

With no ceasefire in sight, Russia's advances in the region help strengthen Moscow's hand in possible peace negotiations as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for a deal to end the war.

The Kremlin's plan for a peace agreement reportedly involves Ukraine withdrawing all its forces from Donetsk Oblast, ceding the entire region to Russia in exchange for frozen battle lines on the other sectors of the front.