Russia's war on Ukraine. 12.08.25
Operational situation
On the Northern Slobozhansky direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces attack near Novyi Put, and counterattacked near Yunakivka, Novokostyantynivka, and Kostyantynivka. The 810th, 40th Separate Marines Brigades, and the 177th Separate Marines Regiment defend north of Andriivka, have problems with communication and coordination. The decision to transfer them to Donetsk Oblast was cancelled. Previous attacks by these units near Novokostyantynivka resulted in heavy losses. The 1st Battalion of the 83rd Separate Air Assault Brigade occupied new positions in Yablunivka, immediately came under friendly fire due to communication problems. The 2nd Battalion of the 1443rd Motorized Rifle Regiment is forced to appoint officers as commanders of assault groups near Novomykolayivka due to a lack of personnel.
Russian troops advanced in the center of Oleksiivka, southwest of Yunakivka, and attacked near Bezsalivka and Sadky.
On the Southern Slobozhansky direction, Russian troops attacked near Vovchansk, Synelnykove, Tykhe, and Zybine.
On the Kupyansk direction, Russian troops attacked near Kindrashivka, Radkivka, Kolodyazne, Petropavlivka, Stepova Novoselivka, Nova Kruhlyakivka, Hrekivka, and Olkhivka.
On the Lyman direction, Russian troops advanced northwest and southeast of Kolodyazi, tried to advance south of Torske and Dibrova, north and southeast of Serednie, and attacked near Shandryholove, Karpivka, Ridkodub, Zarichne, Yampil, and in the Serebriansk Forest area.
Ukrainian Defense Forces hold positions in Myrne and counterattacked in Kolodyazi and near Myrne.
On the Siversk direction, Russian troops attacked near Siversk, Dronivka, Hryhorivka, Serebrianka, Verkhnyokamianske, Vyimka, and Ivano-Dariivka.
A missile strike hit the Command Post of the 85th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 3rd Combined Arms Army.
On the Kramatorsk direction, Russian troops tried to advance within and southwest of Chasiv Yar, northwest of Stupochky, northwest and south of Predtechyne, and attacked near Novomarkove.
On the Toretsk direction, the 68th Tank Regiment of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Combined Arms Army advanced on the eastern outskirts of Katerynivka. Russian troops advanced west of Stepanivka, tried to advance southwest and east of Katerynivka, north of Yablunivka, to the eastern outskirts of Kleban-Byk, near Poltavka, Rusyn Yar, and attacked near Toretsk, Dyliivka, Bila Hora, Shcherbynivka, Oleksandro-Kalynove, Popiv Yar, and Pleshchiivka.
On the Pokrovsk direction, Russian troops try to advance near Troyanda, north of Zapovidne, south of Bilytske, south of Dorizhne, west of Shakhove, southeast of Vilne, to Nove Shakhove, south of Kucheriv Yar, on the outskirts of Zolotyi Kolodyaz, and captured approximately half of Volodymyrivka, Razyne, Sukhetske, Fedorivka, Zatyshok, Boykivka, Novotoretske, Zapovidne, Mayak, Pankivka, try to capture Dorizhne, and attacked near Vilne, Sukhetske, Rodynske, Mayak, Dorizhne, Shakhove, Nove Shakhove, Novoekonomichne, Volodymyrivka, Zatyshok, Zapovidne, Krasny Lyman, Fedorivka, Boykivka, Kucheriv Yar, Promin, Myroliubivka, Myrnohrad, Lysivka, Chunyshyne, Novoukrainka, Zvirove, Kotlyne, and Udachne.
Active fighting continues west of Nove Shakhove, in Novy Donbas, Bilytske, and Rodynske. Enemy assault units and reconnaissance and sabotage groups operate near Kucheriv Yar, Nove Shakhove, and Bilytske.
Ukrainian Defense Forces hold positions in the north of Pankivka.
On the Novopavlivka direction, Russian troops attacked near Horikhove, Dachne, Filiya, Zelenyi Hay, Ivanivka, Myrne, Voskresenka, Oleksandrohrad, Vilne Pole, Sichneve, Maliivka, Shevchenkove, in the direction of Novoheorhiivka and Komyshuvakha, and tried to advance west of Piddubne.
On the Huliaypole direction, Russian troops advanced south of Temyrivka along the O0510 Velyka Novosilka-Huliaypole highway and attacked near Malynivka.
On the Orikhiv direction, Russian troops attacked near Plavni, Stepnohirsk, Kamianske, Novodanylivka, and Mala Tokmachka.
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Kamianske and Plavni.
General conclusion:
On the Lyman direction, the main part of the Russian troops has undergone only two weeks of training. The enemy is intensifying its attacks, trying to achieve maximum results before the rainy season begins in the autumn. Enemy drone operators deploy as close as possible to the line of combat engagement, trying to ensure maximum depth of damage. The enemy strikes at the dams on the river Chornyi Zherebets east of Kolodyazi.
On the Toretsk direction, Russian troops try to break through weak spots in the Ukrainian defense, especially on the barrier lines. Enemy reconnaissance and sabotage groups regularly enter the outskirts of Rusyn Yar, and the village is a gray zone.
On the Pokrovsk direction, Russian troops introduce reserves into the operation and have launched two Geran-2 drone strikes on Zolotyi Kolodyaz. Enemy reconnaissance and sabotage groups penetrate areas near Dobropillya. The enemy has advanced southeast of the village. Russian troops have cut a section of the T0515 Pokrovsk-Dobropillya highway approximately 2.5 km wide. Kucheriv Yar and Zolotyi Kolodyaz are a gray zone.
It is premature to call Russian achievements in the Dobropillya area an operational breakthrough, although the command of the enemy's “Tsentr (Center)” Operational Grouping will try to develop its tactical achievements into an operational-level breakthrough in the coming days. The coming days on the Pokrovsk direction will be of critical significance for the Ukrainian Defense Forces as they work to counter and contain further Russian advances to the north and northwest of Pokrovsk.
Change in the line of contact (LoC):
There were 168 combat engagements on various fronts.
On the Northern Slobozhansky and Kursk directions, 13 combat engagements took place. The enemy carried out 11 air strikes.
On the Southern Slobozhansky direction, 6 combat engagements took place in the areas of Vovchansk, Kolodyazne, and Dvorichanske.
On the Kupyansk direction, 9 attacks by the occupiers took place. Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled the enemy's assault actions near Stepova Novoselivka, Kindrashivka, Kupiansk, Zahryzove, and Bohuslavka.
On the Lyman direction, the enemy attacked 20 times, tried to advance near the settlements of Ridkodub, Karpivka, Kolodyazi, Myrne, Serebrianka, and in the direction of Druzhelyubivka, Serednie, Shandryholove, and Yampil.
On the Siversk direction, the enemy carried out 8 attacks in the areas of Hryhorivka, Vyimka, and towards Siversk.
On the Kramatorsk direction, 5 combat engagements were recorded in the areas of Stupochky, Stepanivka, and Rusyn Yar.
On the Toretsk direction, the enemy carried out 8 attacks in the areas of Toretsk, Bila Hora, and Shcherbynivka.
On the Pokrovsk direction, 48 offensive actions by the aggressor were stopped in the areas of Poltavka, Popiv Yar, Mayak, Dorizhne, Nykanorivka, Kucheriv Yar, Nove Shakhove, Volodymyrivka, Novoekonomichne, Sukhetske, Rodynske, Promin, Udachne, Lysivka, Zvirove, Horikhove, and Dachne.
On the Novopavlivka direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 24 attacks near Vilne Pole, Maliivka, Zelenyi Hay, Voskresenka, Myrne, and in the direction of Ivanivka and Novoivanivka.
On the Huliaypole direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled an enemy attack near Malynivka.
On the Orikhiv direction, the enemy carried out 2 assaults in the Kamianske area and in the Novodanylivka direction.
On the Prydniprovske direction, the enemy tried to advance 7 times without success.
Supporting operation:
Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out UAV strikes on the Orenburg Helium Plant, the Monocrystal enterprise in Stavropol, and the Arzamas Instrument-Making Plant in Arzamas, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast.
The airports of Samara, Ulyanovsk, and Kazan are closed.
Changes in the enemy disposition:
The 104th Air Assault Regiment of the 76th Air Assault Division operates in Yunakivka.
The 27th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 1st Tank Army operates on the Kupyansk direction, the 68th Motorized Rifle Division of the 6th Combined Arms Army attacks in the direction of Putnykove and Kolodyazne, and the 352nd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 11th Army Corps operates near Stepova Novoselivka.
The 3rd Motorized Rifle Division of the 20th Combined Arms Army operates in the direction of Druzhelyubivka.
The 67th Motorized Rifle Division of the 25th Combined Arms Army operates in Torske, the 164th Motorized Rifle Division of the 25th Combined Arms Army is also in Torske, the 144th Motorized Rifle Division of the 20th Combined Arms Army, and the 2nd Motorized Rifle Division of the 1st Tank Army operate near Zelena Dolyna, Lypove, Hlushchenkove, Karpivka, Ridkodub, and Shandryholove.
The 88th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 3rd Combined Arms Army strikes Ukrainian troops east of Zvanivka.
The 1442nd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 6th Motorized Rifle Division of the 3rd Army Corps operates in Predtechyne.
The 4th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 3rd Combined Arms Army attacks in the direction of Oleksandro-Shultyne on both sides of the railway. The 20th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Combined Arms Army operates near Yablunivka. The 103rd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Combined Arms Army operates near the Kleban-Byk reservoir. The 27th Artillery Regiment of the 6th Motorized Rifle Division of the 3rd Army Corps strikes Ukrainian positions near Ivanopillya.
The 39th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 68th Army Corps operates in the direction of Dobropillya, while the 1st and 9th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigades of the 51st Combined Arms Army attack near Rodynske and Krasny Lyman. The 80th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion of the 51st Combined Arms Army operates near Myrnohrad.
The 36th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade and the 430th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 29th Combined Arms Army operate in the direction of Andriivka-Klevtsove, the 37th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 36th Combined Arms Army is active in Sichneve and Oleksandrohrad, and the 57th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 5th Combined Arms Army strikes Ukrainian positions east of Shevchenkove.
The 69th Separate Rifle Brigade and the 38th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 35th Combined Arms Army operate near Malynivka, while the 57th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 5th Combined Arms Army and the 143rd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 12th Motorized Rifle Division advance in the direction of Zaporizhzhia.
Possible operation situation developments:
According to the estimates of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the enemy will not be able to achieve the goal of the so called special military operation to capture the entire Donetsk Oblast by the end of 2025. The new operational task of the enemy grouping in the theater of military operations is to advance to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and create a buffer zone 10 km deep. Provided current dynamics of combat operations are maintained, the enemy will be able to capture Pokrovsk by autumn, Kostyantynivka and Kupyansk by the end of the year, and reach the close approaches to Zaporizhzhia and the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration by early winter.
On the Northern Slobozhansky direction, the enemy’s “Sever (North)” Operational Grouping is trying to reach the Mala Korchakivka – Nova Sich – Maryinka – Sadky line.
The command of the enemy's "Sever (North)" Operational Grouping in cooperation with the right flank of “Zapad (West)” Operational Grouping in the Southern Slobozhansky direction, will attempt to expand its bridgehead northeast of Velykyi Burluk and capture Khatnie before attacking the city. For this purpose, the troops will have to force the Velykyi Burluk River on the Shevchenkove – Mykhailivka – Velykyi Burluk line. The Vovchansk – Velykyi Burluk – Dvorichna line can become a powerful defensive line within Russia's buffer zone in northern Kharkiv Oblast in the medium- and long-term perspective.
On the Kupyansk direction, the enemy will break through from the north and northeast to the P07 Kharkiv-Chuhuiv-Kupiansk highway, attacking in the directions of Radkivka-Kovalivka and Radkivka-Myrne. The enemy will consolidate on the northern outskirts of Kupiansk and will try to paralyze the logistical support of the Defense Forces defending in the city itself and to the east of it. The command of the enemy's “Zapad (West)” Operational Grouping will try to envelop as deeply as possible from the north the entire Kupyansk defense area of the “Khortytsia” OSG.
On the Lyman direction, the troops of the 3rd Army Corps of Ukrainian Defense Forces will soon be forced to leave their positions in the Serebriansk Forest and withdraw behind the Chornyi Zherebets river. Ukrainian units will withdraw towards Yampil and will try to stop the enemy along the Chornyi Zherebets river. The 25th Combined Arms Army will try to completely eliminate the bridgehead of Ukrainian Defense Forces on the northern bank of the Siverskyi Donets river in the area of the Serebriansk Forest.
On the Siversk direction, the command of the enemy's "Yug (South)" Operational Grouping will attempt to eliminate the Siversk salient held by "Khortytsia" OSG and break through towards the Sloviansk – Kramatorsk agglomeration. The 3rd Combined Arms Army will try to break through to the northern bank of the Siverskyi Donets River between Yampil and Hryhorivka, and from the southeast – toward Siversk. In the near future, the enemy will try to capture Pereyizne and attack Zvanivka along the eastern bank of the Bakhmutka River, trying to break through to Siversk from the south.
On the Toretsk direction, the troops of the 19th Army Corps of Ukrainian Defense Forces will have to leave the Shcherbynivka area, south of the Kleban Byk reservoir, and try to stop the advance of the enemy's 3rd and 8th Combined Arms Armies on the Pleshchiivka – Oleksandro-Shultyne line and go on the defensive in the area of Dovha Balka – Illinivka – Berestok – Stepanivka.
Russian forces will attack in the direction of Oleksiyevo-Druzhkivka and Druzhkivka to complicate the logistics of Ukrainian Defense Forces in Kostyantynivka, thereby facilitating the capture of the "fortress belt". Russian forces may also try to advance northwest of Chasiv Yar in the direction of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, transferring part of the troops to attack along the E40 Bakhmut – Sloviansk highway for this purpose, thereby creating conditions for an assault on the "fortress belt" from the northeast.
On the Pokrovsk direction, the enemy will develop its success in the area northeast of the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad agglomeration in the operational zone of the 51st Combined Arms Army. Russian forces are expected to advance from the southwest and northeast in an effort to envelop Pokrovsk and disrupt the logistical routes of the 9th Army Corps of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. The 51st Combined Arms Army will continue to bypass the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad agglomeration from the north and northeast and will try to advance as deeply as possible to Dobropillya, which will sharply worsen the prospects for the defense of not only Dobropillya and Pokrovsk, but also Druzhkivka and Kostyantynivka.
On the Novopavlivka direction, the command of the enemy's “Vostok (East)” Operational Grouping in the operational zones of the 36th and 29th Combined Arms Armies will try to capture the area between the Vovcha and Mokri Yaly rivers and Vorona and Vovcha rivers and reach the borders of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in the Ivanivka-Temyrivka section.
The command of "Vostok (East)" Operational Grouping can begin an offensive operation in the western direction through Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts, using highway H15 Kurakhove – Zaporizhzhia, forcing the Khaychur, Solona, Verkhnya Tersa, and Vovcha rivers, crossing highways T0408 Preobrazhenka – Novomykolayivka and T0401 Pokrovsk – Huliaypole, seizing several cities the size of Chasiv Yar, which could become a significant problem for the aggressor.
Russian operational losses from 23.02.22 to 12.08.25
Personnel - almost 1,065 220 (+980);
Tanks – 11,098 (+5);
Armored combat vehicles ‒ 23,119 (+5);
Artillery systems – 31,406 (+26);
Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 1,464 (+2);
Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 1,205 (+1);
Vehicles and fuel tanks – 58,219 (+106);
Aircraft - 421 (0);
Helicopters – 340 (0);
UAV operational and tactical level – 50,753 (+107);
Intercepted cruise and other missiles – 3,556 (0);
Boats/ships – 29 (0).
Humanitarian + general:
On the night of August 12, Russian troops attacked Ukraine with 48 Shahed-type strike drones and decoy drones, as well as four Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles aimed at Sumy, Donetsk, and Chernihiv Oblasts; Ukrainian air defense destroyed or suppressed 36 drones, and 12 drones and three missiles hit seven locations.
Over the past week, another 97 people were evacuated from the frontline communities of Sumy Oblast, 13 of whom were children. These were mostly residents of the Bilopilska, Velykopysarivska, Hlukhivska, Seredyno-Budska, and Sveska communities, who are under constant enemy shelling.
As a result of Russian artillery and FPV drone attacks on Nikopol and the Myrivska community in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a 55-year-old woman was wounded and hospitalized in moderate condition; two apartment buildings and a power line were damaged, and in the Synelnykivskyi district, drones caused a fire in a non-residential building and damaged a cultural institution in the Mezhivska community.
One serviceman was killed and 23 more were wounded as a result of a Russian cluster munition missile strike on the territory of a training unit of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the night of August 12.
On August 12, Russian aviation struck Kostyantynivka with a FAB-250 guided aerial bomb, as a result of which two civilians were killed in their own homes, and the blast wave and debris damaged eight private houses and caused significant destruction at the impact site.
On August 11 at 10:55 PM, Russian troops attacked a residential area in the city of Bilozerske, Donetsk Oblast, with FAB-250 aerial bombs equipped with a Unified Gliding and Correction Module, as a result of which a 43-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman were killed, and seven more people, including a 16-year-old boy, were wounded; eight apartment buildings and six cars were damaged.
On August 12, the Russian army attacked Nikopol district in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast with artillery and FPV drones. As a result, a woman was wounded.
The Russian Federation continues to illegally export grain from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, and in total since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has already appropriated about 15 million tons of Ukrainian grain, according to the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council.
The occupation authorities of Crimea announced a long-term complete shutdown of mobile internet, explaining it as a necessity to "counter enemy attacks" and "ensure the safety of citizens"; residents and guests of the peninsula were urged to withdraw cash in advance and download offline maps, while wired internet and voice communication will work without restrictions.