Ukraine STORMS Through Russian Positions… TAKES BACK What’s THEIRS

Ukraine’s forces are turning the tide in Donetsk. After months of brutal stalemate, they’re breaking through Russian defenses and reclaiming key villages in the Pokrovsk-Dobropillia corridor. This video explains how Ukraine’s lightning offensives, drone dominance, and battlefield precision are inflicting catastrophic losses on Russian troops — and why these victories could reshape the entire war. Watch to see how Ukraine’s strategy is shifting momentum and redefining the fight for Donetsk and the future of the war.

Support us directly as we bring you independent, up-to-date reporting on military news and global conflicts by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKfak8fBm_Lhy4eX9UKxEpA/join

#militarystrategy #militarydevelopments #militaryanalysis
#themilitaryshow

SOURCES: https://pastebin.com/eSMtrb1a

In the War in Ukraine, the Battle for Donetsk 
has been a months-long grinding war of attrition. Every confrontation in the battle cost dozens 
of lives on both sides, but neither side gained an advantage. But something has shifted. 
Ukrainian forces are done merely holding the line or slowly ceding parts of it to Russian 
forces. Instead, they’re punching through it and taking back their country one village and town 
at a time. Here’s how Ukraine is storming over Russian defenses and turning the momentum to its 
favor. Recent reports confirm that Ukraine has liberated multiple villages in the strategically 
critical Pokrovsk-Dobropillia corridor, inflicting catastrophic losses on Russian forces in the 
process. But this isn’t just about reclaiming a few villages here and there. Ukraine’s current 
strategy is all about gaining the upper hand at a crucial moment when the entire trajectory of the 
war, and potentially the terms of any peace deal, hang in the balance. For instance, during 
operations to liberate the village of Sukhetske, Ukraine’s 82nd Separate Air Assault Brigade 
engaged a relatively small Russian force that was patrolling the area. The result was 
44 Russian soldiers killed, eight wounded, and nine surrendered. The Ukrainian command 
described the operation as “lightning-fast and uncompromising,” a stark contrast to Russia’s 
months-long grind that has yielded territorial gains measurable in football fields. Sukhetske 
isn’t an isolated victory. In October, Ukrainian forces cleared another village roughly 20 miles 
north of the vital city of Pokrovsk. All told, after Russia’s sudden seven-mile push in early 
August, Ukraine has now reclaimed nine villages in the area, with another nine cleared of Russian 
sabotage groups. Each village reclaimed represents a critical piece of Ukraine’s defensive 
architecture, extending its effective range and denying Russia key staging areas for future 
assaults. But the scale of Ukraine’s push-back becomes truly apparent when looking at the 
broader operational picture. As of October 26, Ukrainian forces have liberated 72 square miles 
of its territory and cleared an additional 94 square miles of the Pokrovsk sector from 
Russian presence. To put that in perspective, this means the liberation of an area roughly the 
size of Washington, D.C., in 10 days. And through all of that, the human toll on Russian forces 
has been devastating. In those same 10 days, the Ukrainian military reports it has eliminated 
1,756 enemy troops (including kills, injuries, and captures) and destroyed 75 pieces of military 
equipment. And zooming out to view the full two-month period since Ukraine began stabilizing 
the sector on August 21, the numbers become truly staggering. Over 15,700 Russian personnel 
casualties and 1,364 pieces of weaponry and equipment destroyed are being reported. That’s 
more than some countries have in their entire standing armies. Concerning equipment, Ukrainian 
forces have reportedly destroyed 36 Russian tanks, 121 armored fighting vehicles, 162 artillery 
systems, 5 multiple launch rocket systems, 447 vehicles, 592 motorcycles & quad bikes and 
also 1 special-purpose vehicle. The last point here is notable as the motorcycles and quad 
bikes are part of Russia’s desperate attempt to use cheap civilian vehicles for infantry 
mobility due to armored transport becoming too costly or ineffective. In addition, in a 
war increasingly dominated by unmanned systems, Ukrainian forces have knocked out 4,689 Russian 
drones in this sector alone. Some of these equipment losses are things that Russia can’t 
recover from easily. Take the tanks as an example. While reports differ enormously, some analysts 
suggest that Russia’s tank production capacity is somewhere around 300 to 400 tanks a year 
– including both new builds and the renewal of older tanks. So when 36 tanks are destroyed 
in two months in a single sector, and Russia is producing and renewing roughly 34 a month, 
those losses become strategically significant. The situation in Pokrovsk itself remains contested 
but increasingly stable, as October 25 saw nearly 30% of the 181 engagements across the frontline 
happen around the city. While Russian forces have managed to install approximately 200 troops into 
the city, they’re effectively trapped in an urban killing ground. Small-arms fighting and intense 
drone operations are ongoing, but Ukrainian counter-sabotage actions are systematically 
thwarting Russian attempts to advance deeper or establish fortified positions. Every time 
Russian forces try to consolidate or push forward, Ukrainian drone units and infantry locate and 
eliminate them. Recent days have also seen Russian forces desperately increasing their use of armored 
vehicles in assault operations, a marked shift from the infantry-heavy tactics that have proven 
so costly. But the change is yielding similarly dismal results. Between October 20 and 25, Russian 
forces conducted 41 armored vehicle-supported assaults across the entire front line. In the 
Pokrovsk sector specifically, on October 25 alone, Ukrainian forces destroyed one armored fighting 
vehicle and two motorcycles in the Pokrovsk area, plus another armored fighting vehicle in 
the nearby Balahan sector. By some counts, almost every single vehicle Russia committed 
to those assaults was destroyed. To fully understand why these recent Ukrainian gains 
are so significant, it’s worth zooming out and looking at the strategic landscape. Pokrovsk 
and Dobropillia are practically the linchpins of the entire Donetsk defense network, and their 
fate could determine who controls the region for decades to come. Moscow has made clear its 
intention to fully occupy the Donetsk region as part of what it calls its “primary war aims.” This 
goes beyond simply controlling the territory and more to its reasons for doing so: the ability to 
extract resources and people from them to further Russia’s longer-term goals. At this point, full 
control of Donetsk would allow Russia to claim it has achieved its stated objective of “liberating” 
the Donbas and its Russian-speaking majority (even though most people there claim to be Ukrainian 
by culture and nationality). It would provide Putin with a narrative victory he desperately 
needs both domestically and internationally, further fueling his domestic propaganda. But 
there’s a more practical military dimension too. Donetsk’s industrial infrastructure, despite being 
heavily damaged, still represents significant economic value. More importantly, full occupation 
would give Russia defensible borders aligned with the administrative boundaries it has claimed 
through illegal annexation. For Moscow, Donetsk is the key to consolidating gains and creating a 
“frozen conflict” on its terms. And Pokrovsk sits at the heart of this ambition. Western analysts 
consider Pokrovsk a “gateway to the most heavily fortified areas left in Ukraine’s hands in the 
Donetsk region.” Stationed at the intersection of multiple supply highways, Pokrovsk also houses 
a regionally significant railway hub that can feed into the entire Donbas from Ukraine’s side. 
But even worse, this also means that the supply lines can go the other way, and if Russian forces 
take over Pokrovsk, they could much more easily clear out the rest of Donetsk. This could lead to 
further advances toward Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia, potentially opening the door to removing Ukraine’s 
hold on the broader southeast. This is why Russia has thrown everything at Pokrovsk. Despite 
the frontline extending for over 600 miles across Ukraine, some sources indicate around 
half of recent assaults have occurred in the Pokrovsk/Kurakhove directions. An earlier analysis 
of military maps provided by DeepState in August suggested Russia intended to besiege Pokrovsk 
by encircling it from three sides (north, south, and east). The ongoing sabotage and infiltration 
attempts are just another way for Russia to attempt to gain a foothold in the city, while the 
recent village liberations directly go counter to that tactic. Now the script flips to look at why 
Pokrovsk and Dobropillia are absolutely vital for Ukrainian defenses. It could be said that 
these cities are force multipliers that extend Ukraine’s operational reach across the entire 
region. Dobropillia, located about 13 miles north of Pokrovsk, is a critical northern anchor 
in Ukraine’s defense network. Continued control of Dobropillia allows Ukrainian forces to maintain 
artillery and drone coverage over key highways and railway lines that Russia needs to sustain any 
advance toward Pokrovsk. Without Dobropillia, Ukraine’s ability to threaten Russian 
logistics and reinforcements collapses, turning Pokrovsk into an isolated fortress that 
can be slowly strangled. But it’s about more than just geography. Pokrovsk and Dobropillia 
together form what is essentially a mutually supporting defensive zone. Artillery positioned 
in Dobropillia can cover approaches to Pokrovsk, while forces in Pokrovsk can provide fire 
support for Dobropillia. This creates overlapping fields of fire that make any Russian advance 
exponentially more costly. And the railway station in Pokrovsk is particularly crucial. It can be 
used to quickly move troops, ammunition, fuel, heavy equipment, and medical supplies to much of 
the Donbas sector. Lose Pokrovsk’s railway hub, and Ukraine’s ability to sustain defensive 
operations across Donetsk degrades dramatically. Supply runs that used to take hours by 
rail suddenly require days by truck over roads constantly targeted by Russian artillery and 
drones. So as long as Ukraine holds both Pokrovsk and Dobropillia, it maintains the capability to 
project force across Donetsk. Meanwhile, drone operations can reach deeper into Russian-held 
territory. Artillery can interdict Russian supply lines. Electronic warfare systems can disrupt 
Russian communications across a broader front. Thus, Pokrovsk and Dobropillia effectively extend 
Ukraine’s defensive “bubble” to cover the entire region, making any Russian consolidation 
of control impossible. At the same time, losing one could mean losing another in short 
succession, with the rest of the region following suit. This is why Russia has been willing to 
sacrifice catastrophic numbers of troops to capture Pokrovsk, and why Ukraine has been equally 
determined to hold it at all costs. It’s also why recent reports of Russians approaching Pokrovsk 
are so devastating to the rhetoric surrounding the Ukrainian defense: it shows that Ukraine 
is increasingly desperate in trying not to show any weakness whatsoever. At the same time, it 
showcases just how important every village in the area is, as every victory forces Russian troops 
to change tactics and fall back, and relieves just a bit of pressure on Ukraine’s armed forces. The 
recent liberation of Sukhetske, Kucheriv Yar, as well as other villages, also represents Ukraine’s 
ability to exploit Russia’s summer failure. Every village reclaimed is territory that Russia paid 
an enormous price to capture, but now lost due to Moscow’s offensive culminating before achieving 
its objectives. Russia pushed too hard, advanced too far with inadequate forces, and now watches as 
the gains evaporate under Ukrainian pressure. What makes this particularly devastating for Russia 
is the timing. These losses come at a moment when Moscow desperately needs to show progress, not 
setbacks. The summer offensive was supposed to be decisive. Instead, it’s turned into yet another 
Russian failure that Ukraine is now converting into momentum for its own operations. These are 
reflected in the broader geopolitics surrounding the control of Donbas (or lack thereof). Helping 
Ukraine convert that momentum is the newest of their developments: drones. Ukrainian drone 
production has increased by 900% over the past year. That’s not a typo. Monthly output has 
ramped up from 20,000 drones in the summer of 2024 to 200,000 currently. And this isn’t just 
more of the same old FPV drones seen in 2023. Ukraine is producing increasingly sophisticated 
systems, including fiber-optic-controlled drones that are immune to Russian electronic warfare, 
AI-guided systems that can operate autonomously, and long-range strike drones capable of 
hitting targets inside Russia itself. But most importantly, Ukraine is actively producing 
the majority of the drones that have become the war’s defining weapon system. By divesting 
itself from the Western supplies for drones, Ukraine has become at least partly independent 
while still managing to secure its defensive capabilities. By doing so, they are allowing 
NATO to provide systems that are more dependent on technical advantages that established Western 
military industrial complexes have, such as tanks, artillery, aircraft, and missile systems. To 
support this production boom while staying out of reach of Russian strikes, Ukraine has been 
establishing manufacturing partnerships with NATO countries . Romania, for one, has announced 
plans to jointly produce defensive drones with Ukraine for use by both countries and other 
NATO allies. Denmark has also proposed letting Ukrainian manufacturers share their production 
capacities with Denmark instead of keeping them solely restricted to domestic soil. At the same 
time, Denmark has suggested that Ukraine could sell some of its more advanced drones and designs 
to NATO, which would help boost its economy and allow it to receive NATO equipment in equal 
trade rather than as donations or as part of the loan. This independence strengthens Ukraine’s 
hand in any negotiations because it demonstrates sustainability, allowing Kyiv to continue fighting 
regardless of external political pressures. Now the focus turns to Russia’s side of the equation, 
because the picture is increasingly grim. Moscow is facing an interconnected set of crises 
regarding manpower, economics, and morale that are fundamentally unsustainable. Starting with 
the soldiers themselves… or the lack thereof. September saw Putin order Russia’s largest fall 
conscription in nine years, with only 135,000 men aged 18-30 being drafted. This also comes after a 
spring draft of 160,000, the highest since autumn 2011. Russia is also moving toward year-round 
conscription starting in 2026, replacing the current seasonal system. But these numbers reflect 
desperation, not strength. Despite recruiting hundreds of thousands of men, Russia continues 
to face severe manpower shortages at the front. Russia doesn’t really need bodies (as it has 
practically a million of them to throw at Ukraine at any given time). What Russia lacks is dedicated 
soldiers who won’t immediately desert or die in the first assault. By some counts, roughly 70,000 
Russian soldiers are expected to desert the army in 2025, which is a tenth of the committed force 
in Ukraine. The 41st Army, for example, recorded nearly 8,000 deserters, which is estimated to be 
roughly 50% of the original troop size. Russia has tried to improve recruitment through financial 
incentives that have grown increasingly desperate. In 2024, soldiers from Moscow could earn up to 
7.1 million rubles in their first year, including a 1.9 million ruble signing-bonus and other 
pay/benefits (about $82,000 at the then-current exchange rate). That amount is nearly 70 percent 
of Putin’s official stated presidential income. In far-off regions, monthly payments are more than 
2.4 times greater than the average Russian salary, with one-time signing bonuses equal to 22 times 
the monthly minimum wage. More than 50 regions are reported to have increased payments for military 
contracts. These rapidly increasing bonuses are indicative of the severe troop shortages, as such 
incentives wouldn’t be needed if the ranks were filled with eager recruits. But these high 
salaries are threatened by budget realities. Russia’s 2026 draft budget shows defense spending 
dropping from 13.5 trillion rubles ($161 billion) to 13 trillion rubles ($157 billion), the first 
decrease since the war began. This decrease is worsened by Russian inflation, which is sitting at 
8% against the March high of 10%. Realistically, though, these inflation numbers are skewed and 
don’t represent the real image of its economy. This is supported by the fact that Putin has 
planned for additional taxation measures in 2026, suggesting that it’s pulling even more money 
from the rest of the budget to the military. But that money is for soldiers ready to join the 
fight. Those who have already served their time are getting the short end of the stick. Russia 
is cutting compensation for wounded soldiers and their families to save money. Payments to the 
families of deceased soldiers, as well as payments to wounded soldiers and their families, will fall 
from 78 billion rubles (about $967 million) in 2025 to 58 billion rubles (about $719 million). 
Funding for the Defenders of the Fatherland fund, which supports veterans, will be cut by more than 
half, from 34.7 billion rubles (approximately $421 million) to 13.9 billion rubles (or $172 million). 
Think about what this means: Russia is paying more men to fight while simultaneously reducing what 
it pays to those who have already fought (and are killed or wounded). This economic contradiction 
will further undermine morale and recruitment. It creates a window of vulnerability that Ukraine 
is positioned to exploit. As Russia struggles with the economic arithmetic of sustaining 
its military, Ukraine’s momentum could force Moscow into increasingly difficult choices between 
maintaining force levels and economic stability. But economic and industrial aspects pale in 
comparison to the geopolitics, which is showcased by the spectacular collapse of planned peace 
talks between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Just four days ago, the 
White House announced there would be “no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in 
the immediate future.” This is a massive blow to Putin’s strategy. After Trump and Putin spoke by 
phone on October 16, the U.S. president announced they would meet in Budapest to discuss ending the 
war. Moscow clearly saw this as an opportunity to secure favorable terms. A ceasefire along current 
lines would allow Russia to consolidate control over occupied territory while portraying itself 
as the reasonable party seeking peace. But the talks collapsed almost immediately after Secretary 
of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held preliminary discussions. 
According to multiple sources, Lavrov made clear that Russia would not accept an immediate 
ceasefire and reiterated hard-line demands like more territory, nonalignment and broader 
guarantees. Trump’s response was telling: “I don’t want to have a wasted meeting. I don’t want to 
have a waste of time, so I’ll see what happens.” This represents a significant shift from earlier 
Trump rhetoric that seemed to favor pressuring Ukraine into territorial concessions. The reason 
for that is that Putin could’ve overplayed his hand. By refusing to show any flexibility on 
territorial demands and continuing to frame the war in maximalist terms, Putin convinced 
Trump, or at least his advisors, that Moscow isn’t actually interested in serious negotiations. 
European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a joint statement pointing out 
that “Russia’s stalling tactics have shown time and time again that Ukraine is the only 
party serious about peace.” For Ukraine, this is strategically crucial. Putin’s entire 
approach has been built on the assumption that he can wait for Western support for Ukraine to 
peter out, secure a favorable deal through Trump, and consolidate his gains. The collapse of the 
Budapest summit suggests this strategy isn’t working. Every day the war continues without 
Russian diplomatic progress is another day for Ukraine to strengthen its position militarily 
and politically. This all stems from the fact that Trump’s only real suggestions so far, beyond 
the mineral deal, have been to “freeze” the war along current battle lines as a starting point for 
negotiations. Ukraine can’t really accept these terms as-is, given the current state of the war. 
A freeze along current lines would leave roughly 20% of Ukrainian territory, including much of 
Donetsk, under Russian occupation. It would effectively reward Russian aggression, provide 
Moscow time to consolidate control and rebuild military capabilities, and create a “frozen 
conflict” that could reignite at any moment Russia feels ready for another push. European leaders 
and Zelenskyy pushed back against this position, issuing a joint statement emphasizing they “remain 
committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force.” But the 
fact that Trump is proposing this framework at all represents a strategic threat to Ukrainian 
objectives. This is why Ukraine is pushing so hard right now, even as winter approaches. Every 
mile of territory reclaimed and every Russian unit degraded changes the math of any future talks. If 
Trump eventually does broker talks that freeze the lines, Ukraine wants those lines as far east 
as possible. There’s also a deeper strategic calculation at play. By demonstrating continued 
military capability, and showing they can not only hold territory but actively reclaim it, Ukraine 
is signaling to Trump and other Western leaders that a freeze isn’t necessary or inevitable. 
The more Ukraine can demonstrate momentum, the harder it becomes to justify pressuring Kyiv into 
accepting permanent territorial losses. Zelenskyy has also noted that Putin returned to diplomacy 
and called Trump as soon as the U.S. broached the possibility of increasing military support to 
Ukraine, but then postponed talks when that didn’t coalesce. This insight drives Ukrainian strategy: 
maintain military pressure to create negotiating leverage. Don’t allow Russia to consolidate. Don’t 
give Moscow the breathing room to rebuild. Keep pushing, keep degrading Russian capabilities, keep 
imposing costs that make the war unsustainable for the Kremlin. However, political winds 
can shift quickly, and Ukraine knows it. By demonstrating effective use of existing 
capabilities to achieve battlefield results, Ukraine makes the case for continued support. And 
the more Ukraine can show it’s not just surviving but actively reversing Russian gains, the easier 
it becomes to secure the weapons, ammunition, and financial resources needed to go further and 
deeper. The villages around Pokrovsk might not make headlines the way major offensives do, but 
they represent a shift in how the war is being fought and could be fought in the near future. 
Russia was counting on Western support to fade, and Ukraine to crack. They assumed that time was 
on their side. But the war of attrition cuts both ways and in unexpected terms. Every month the 
war continues is another month for Ukraine to build domestic production capacity and another 
month for Russia’s economy to deteriorate under sanctions and casualties to accumulate beyond 
what is reasonable to recover from. And if Moscow can’t hold the few villages it captured 
at such horrific cost, it stands no chance of actually going through the entirety of Donetsk or 
Ukraine as a whole. Of course, the war isn’t over, as Russia still controls significant Ukrainian 
territory. Moscow still has resources to draw on and can seemingly sustain operations and create 
headlines about promising continued industrial growth. But the trajectory is increasingly 
problematic for the Kremlin, as every Ukrainian victory and takeover of its territory is just 
one more signal to the West that it’s worth it to amplify the economic and geopolitical pressure. 
Thanks for watching. If you want to learn more about the broader strategic situation in Ukraine, 
check out our other videos analyzing the military and economic dimensions of this conflict, and 
subscribe to stay updated on daily developments.