Russia's war on Ukraine. 23.08.25
Operational situation
On the Northern Slobozhansky direction, Russian troops advanced to the eastern and southern outskirts of Yunakivka and attacked Novokostyantynivka and Oleksiivka. The enemy is concentrating Airborne Troops units in the area of Novyi Put. A battalion of the 810th Separate Marines Brigade unsuccessfully storms Stepne and suffers heavy losses.
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Tetkino and Yunakivka and drove the enemy out of Varachyne.
On the Southern Slobozhansky direction, Russian troops tried to advance in the forest areas west of Synelnykove, along the southern bank of the Vovcha River, and in the direction of Khatnie. The enemy attacked near Vovchansk, Ambarne, and in the direction of Chuhunivka.
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Vovchansk and on the southern bank of the Vovcha River.
On the Kupyansk direction, Russian troops attacked near Kupiansk, Myrove, Zakhidne, Holubivka, Kindrashivka, Kolodyazne, Stepova Novoselivka, Zahryzove, and Hrekivka, tried to advance west of Lozova and southwest of Zelenyi Hai, and launched an airstrike on the bridge over the Oskil River.
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Synkivka and Petropavlivka.
On the Lyman direction, Russian troops tried to advance southwest of Kolodyazi and southwest of Torske, and in the Serebriansk Forest area. They attacked near Serednie, Shandryholove, Karpivka, Zelena Dolyna, Myrne, Kolodyazi, Dibrova, Zarichne, Torske, and Yampil.
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Ridkodub and Katerynivka.
On the Siversk direction, Russian troops fought southwest of Novoselivka, and near Siversk, Serebrianka, Hryhorivka, Vyimka, Ivano-Dariivka, Pereyizne, and Fedorivka.
On the Kramatorsk direction, Russian troops advanced northwest of Chasiv Yar, and attacked near Predtechyne and Kostyantynivka.
On the Toretsk direction, Russian troops fought for Katerynivka, tried to advance south of Oleksandro-Shultyne and northeast of Rusyn Yar, and attacked Ukrainian positions in Dyliivka, and near Toretsk, Bila Hora, Pleshchiivka, Kleban-Byk, Poltavka, Stepanivka, and Shcherbynivka. The terrain and Ukrainian fortifications complicate the enemy's advance near Kleban-Byk.
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Kleban-Byk.
On the Pokrovsk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces advanced into the western part of Udachne, and counterattacked near Hruzke, Bilytske, and Kotlyne.
Russian troops fought for Volodymyrivka, tried to advance to Petrivka, near Pankivka, Shakhove, and Sofiivka, near Promin, Moskovske, Chunyshyne and to Novopavlivka, and attacked near Pokrovsk, Rodynske, Bilytske, Krasnyi Lyman, Zapovidne, Kucheriv Yar, Novoekonomichne, Mykolaivka, Myroliubivka, Zatyshok, Vesele, Zolotyi Kolodyaz, Nove Shakhove, Myrnohrad, Lysivka, Sukhyi Yar, Novoukrainka, Zvirove, Kotlyne, Udachne and Molodetske.
On the Novopavlivka direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces liberated Zelenyi Hai.
Russian troops advanced northwest of Yalta, and attacked near Novopavlivka, northeast of Muravka, near Dachne, Horikhove, Tovste, Zaporizke, Filiya, Zelenyi Hai, Voskresenka, Oleksandrohrad, Shevchenkove, Maliivka, Sichneve, Novoheorhiivka, and in the direction of Komyshuvakha and Zaporizhzhia. They also tried to advance west of Novoheorhiivka and entrench themselves on the eastern outskirts of Oleksandrohrad.
On the Huliaypole direction, Russian troops advanced on the northern outskirts of Temyrivka, and attacked near Olhivske, Zelene Pole, and in the direction of Novohryhorivka.
On the Orikhiv direction, Russian troops attacked near Mala Tokmachka, Bilohirya, Plavni, Kamianske, and Stepnohirsk.
General conclusion:
On the Siversk direction, Russian forces attack with small infantry groups probing for gaps in Ukrainian defense. The enemy employs up to 150 FPV drones per day.
On the Kramatorsk direction, Russian forces use unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) for resupply and attack with small infantry groups.
On the Pokrovsk direction, Russian forces attempt to break into Ukrainian defenses near Myrnohrad, fight for Rodynske, Zatyshok, and Zapovidne, and try to breach Ukrainian defenses near Mayak. The heaviest fighting takes place near Zolotyi Kolodyaz. Advancing near Rodynske and Zapovidne, the enemy attempts to encircle Myrnohrad. Neither side has seized the initiative.
The enemy is completing construction of UAV Shahed launch sites at Donetsk Airport.
On the Novopavlivka direction, Russian forces advance slowly; the situation is extremely difficult and develops negatively for Ukrainian Defense Forces.
Change in the line of contact (LoC):
There were 143 combat engagements on various fronts.
On the Northern Slobozhansky and Kursk directions, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 7 enemy attacks.
On the Southern Slobozhansky direction, the enemy tried in vain 8 times to break through Ukrainian defense lines in the area of Vovchansk, Ambarne, and toward Kolodyazne.
On the Kupyansk direction, 8 enemy attacks occurred. The enemy's assault actions were repelled in the areas of Kindrashivka, Myrne, Stepova Novoselivka, and Zahryzove.
On the Lyman direction, 24 combat engagements occurred. The enemy tried to advance forward near Karpivka, Zelena Dolyna, Kolodyazi, Torske, and toward Yampil and Serebrianka.
On the Siversk direction, the enemy made 4 attempts to advance in the areas of Hryhorivka, Vyimka, and Pereyizne.
On the Kramatorsk direction, 5 combat engagements occurred near Bila Hora and toward Stupochky.
On the Toretsk direction, the enemy launched 9 attacks in the areas of Shcherbynivka, Toretsk, Poltavka, and toward Stepanivka.
On the Pokrovsk direction, 38 assault actions by the aggressor were stopped near Nykanorivka, Novoekonomichne, Myroliubivka, Rodynske, Bilytske, Sukhyi Yar, Chunyshyne, Zvirove, Udachne, Molodetske, Muravka, and Dachne.
On the Novopavlivka direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 35 attacks by the invaders in the areas of Voskresenka, Zaporizke, Temyrivka, Zelene Pole, Tolstoy, Lisne, Olhivske, and in the direction of the settlements of Komyshuvakha and Filiya.
On the Orikhiv direction, the invaders tried to advance once in the Kamianske area.
On the Prydniprovske direction, the enemy made 4 unsuccessful attempts to attack the positions of Ukrainian units.
Supporting operation:
A combined strike by Ukrainian Defense Forces hit the command post of the Center for Advanced Drone Technologies "Rubicon" and an enemy ammunition depot in the area of Novotoretske in the Donetsk Oblast. A UAV airstrike was launched on the airbase on Cape Khersones in Crimea, where three "Mohajer-6" UAVs and two "Forpost" UAVs were hit.
A UAV airstrike hit the Petrov Val nodal railway station of the Privolzhskaya railway in the Volgograd Oblast. The Petrov Val locomotive depot is located at the station. Military and infrastructure facilities in the settlements of Ilskyi and Afipskyi in the Krasnodar Krai were attacked.
Changes in the enemy disposition:
Assault groups of the 83rd Separate Air Assault Brigade operate in Yunakivka, the 51st Regiment of the 106th Airborne Division has fully switched to defense near Sadky, and the 137th Regiment of the same division attacks near Mohrytsya.
The 164th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 25th Combined Arms Army strikes Ukrainian forces near Zarichne and in the area of the Serebriansk Forest.
The 9th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 51st Combined Arms Army operates near Rozdolivka.
The 33rd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 20th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Combined Arms Army, advances toward Kostyantynivka.
The 1st Battalion of the 4th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 3rd Army, fights within the area of Bila Hora.
The 37th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 36th Combined Arms Army strikes Ukrainian positions near Ternove.
The 4th Military Base of the 58th Combined Arms Army and the 70th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division of the 58th Combined Arms Army are active near Mala Tokmachka. The 247th Air Assault Regiment of the 7th Air Assault Division operates near Stepnohirsk.
On the islands of the Dnipro River, the 80th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 14th Army Corps is active, while the 404th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 126th Separate Coastal Defense Brigade of the 22nd Army Corps operates in Kherson Oblast.
Possible operation situation developments:
According to the assessment 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. 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.
The command of the enemy's “Sever (North)” Operational Grouping, in cooperation with the right flank of the “Zapad (West)” Operational Grouping, will expand its bridgehead northeast of Velykyi Burluk in the Southern Slobozhansky direction and will try to capture Khatnie.
On the Kupyansk direction, the command of the enemy's “Zapad (West)” Operational Grouping will try to envelop the entire Kupyansk defense area of the “Khortytsia” OSG as deeply as possible from the north. The enemy will consolidate on the northern outskirts of Kupyansk and will try to paralyze the logistics support of Ukrainian Defense Forces' units defending in the city itself and east of it. The enemy will break through from the north and northeast to the R-07 Kharkiv–Chuhuiv–Kupyansk highway, attacking in the directions of Radkivka–Kovalivka and Radkivka–Myrne.
On the Lyman direction, 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. 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.
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-Novospaske-Katerynivka-Kleban Byk area, retreat 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 cut the Н20 Kostyantynivka-Sloviansk highway and 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 will 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. The 2nd Combined Arms Army will then proceed to assault Pokrovsk from the south and southwest.
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.
Russian operational losses from 23.02.22 to 23.08.25
Personnel - almost 1,075 160 (+840);
Tanks – 11,129 (+5);
Armored combat vehicles ‒ 23,164 (+4);
Artillery systems – 31,858 (+23);
Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 1,472 (0);
Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 1,210 (0);
Vehicles and fuel tanks – 59,512 (+86);
Aircraft - 422 (0);
Helicopters – 340 (0);
UAV operational and tactical level – 52,935 (+148);
Intercepted cruise and other missiles – 3,598 (0);
Boats/ships – 29 (0).
Humanitarian + general:
In the night of August 23, Russian troops attacked Ukraine with 49 strike unmanned aerial vehicles, of which the Air Force shot down or suppressed 36. However, 13 hits were recorded in seven locations in Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Sumy Oblasts.
In the morning of August 23, in the Synelnykove district of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a Russian drone hit a minibus traveling on the highway, killing a 59-year-old man and injuring five other people; in addition, during the morning guided aerial bomb strike on the Malomykhailivka community, two people were wounded, including a 10-year-old child.
In the morning of August 23, Russian troops dropped two guided aerial bombs on the village of Buniachine of the Novosloboda community in Sumy Oblast, injuring a 44-year-old local resident and damaging two houses, a church, and the administrative building of the village council.
Russian invaders shelled the city of Beryslav in the Kherson Oblast with artillery, as a result of which a 78-year-old local resident who was hit while leaving the city was killed.
In Novoraisk, Kherson Oblast, the Russian military dropped an explosive from a drone on a 15-year-old boy. He suffered blast and traumatic brain injuries, a concussion, and a shrapnel wound to the thigh. He is currently in the hospital in a state of moderate severity.
In the Synelnykove district of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, one person was killed and nine were wounded as a result of enemy attacks on Saturday. Seven private houses and a minibus came under fire from drones and guided aerial bombs, and fires broke out, which have already been extinguished.
On the evening of August 22, Russian troops launched a targeted strike on a fire station in Dobropillia, Donetsk Oblast, as a result of which no personnel were injured, but the blast wave deformed the gates, broke the glass, and damaged the doors and ceiling.
Thanks to the assistance of the State of Qatar, a total of 83 Ukrainian children have been returned home.