There are areas where Russian forces are increasing the number of attacks, with the main objective of conquering the entire Donbass
Russia continues to advance slowly into the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, where it has concentrated most of its troops, while continuing efforts to encircle the key “fortress belt” city of Kostyantynivka and the town of Lyman.
But outside experts and Ukrainian soldiers who spoke to CNN say the claims of Russia’s advance are exaggerated and come at a time when the Kremlin is likely trying to project a success narrative to counter the impact of recent Ukrainian attacks inside Russia.
Russian state news agency TASS said on Monday that Russian forces had “gained full control” of the eastern part of Kostyantynivka and reached the northeastern outskirts.
In reality, parts of the city have become a contested “gray zone” – with neither side in control – according to the Washington-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
“These are infiltrations, not advances. They are groups of perhaps one or two men, Russian military personnel, entering some positions in the city… it is not a consolidated position”, guarantees Kateryna Stepanenko, head of the ISW team in Russia, who describes the tactic as slow and exhausting. “They still need a lot of time and a lot of resources to really transform this into consolidated positions.”
Ukrainian soldiers on the front line assure CNN that the situation is getting worse, although it is controllable and Russia’s movements are still extremely slow.
“The situation in the Kostyantynivka sector, particularly in Kostyantynivka itself, has been noticeably deteriorating in recent weeks”, notes Kostiantyn Melnykov, press officer of the 24th Ukrainian Mechanized Brigade, which fights in the neighboring town of Chasiv Yar, to CNN. “The enemy is increasing the number of air strikes in this sector.”
Russia’s goal is to seize the entire Donbass region of Ukraine, which contains the “fortress belt” of industrial cities, railways and roads that form the backbone of the country’s defense and supply the front line. This includes the capture of Kostyantynivka and surrounding villages – something that appears to be Russia’s main objective for now.
But Melnykov adds that Ukrainian units in the area are killing Russian troops, destroying equipment and “containing enemy forces, which are far superior.”
Russia’s strategy has been to send small groups of infantry – those who survive the advances – to infiltrate the city. It is the same tactic that Moscow used to seize the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk in early 2026, a battle that lasted for months after Russian troops infiltrated the city and was characterized by many premature declarations of capture.
In some cases, Ukrainian forces spotted a single Russian soldier advancing, according to Yuriy Madyar, acting deputy commander of Ukraine’s 19th Army Corps, in an interview with Ukrainian national broadcaster Suspilne last week.
CNN was unable to independently verify the situation on the ground.
There are several reasons why Russia is stepping up its infiltration missions. A Russian commander posted on Telegram on Tuesday that his forces were able to advance using the cover of summer vegetation. Good weather conditions also make it easier to fly drones – although this is also true for Ukraine.
And there are reports that the Kremlin has imposed a September deadline for seizing the Donbass region, although the ISW has assessed that Russia is unlikely to achieve that goal.
“The most important thing is that they want to declare informational victories. The Russians are facing a lot of vulnerabilities right now,” Stepanenko emphasizes, citing Ukraine’s recent attacks on infrastructure in Russian-occupied Crimea, occupied Kherson and elsewhere. “Infiltration is one of the ways in which Russia can make these grandiose declarations of victory without actually fully achieving its objectives.”
It is likely that some elements of the alleged Russian advances are false. According to ISW, “Russian authorities have recently intensified their campaign to use images likely altered by artificial intelligence to bolster their exaggerated claims of Russian successes near Ukraine’s fortress belt in the Donetsk region.”
For example, the Russian Ministry of Defense published a video of its troops raising a flag in Lyman, the veracity of which the ISW said it was unable to verify, adding that “there is reason to believe that the images may have been altered by artificial intelligence.”
In Lyman, Ukrainian forces are indeed observing “a significant intensification of activity,” particularly north of the city, according to Ukrainian Armed Forces spokesman Viktor Tregubov in an interview with local media. But Tregubov insisted that Ukrainian forces have managed to repel the enemy advance.
Following attacks on Russian logistics networks in the region, Tregubov told Suspilne that “it appears that they [os russos] they are trying to get some results before the logistical situation, including the supply of fuel and lubricants, starts to really affect them.”
Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign
Meanwhile, Kiev has intensified its long-range drone strikes against major Russian cities.
In the early hours of Sunday to Monday, Ukraine attacked the Moscow metropolitan area for the third time in the last week.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated this Tuesday that the Ukrainian Armed Forces “are attacking civilian infrastructure with drones in an attempt to destabilize Russian society”, according to the TASS agency.
This statement comes after Ukraine struck an oil installation on the outskirts of Moscow last week – a large-scale attack that required an immediate response from Russian air defense, and during which a Russian defense missile apparently missed its target and accidentally blew off the lid of an oil storage tank.
Despite this, Putin expressed confidence in Russia’s war aims, adding: “We will get where we need to get to.”
Crimea will turn into an island
Kiev has also intensified its attacks on targets in Crimea – the Ukrainian peninsula occupied by Russia since 2014 – in recent days, destroying a railway bridge over the North Crimean Canal and hitting an oil depot in the early hours of Tuesday.
Crimea’s largest city, Sevastopol, lost power on Wednesday following Ukrainian attacks on the main electrical substation, according to Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol. Two people were injured in the attacks that occurred overnight, Razvozhaev said.
Local authorities on the Crimean Peninsula – a popular summer holiday destination for Russians – have canceled summer camps for children in recent days and suspended all outdoor sporting activities until further notice.
Over the weekend, authorities reported that four people were killed and 28 injured in Ukrainian drone strikes.
The Ukrainian Navy said it had struck several ferries used to transport Russian military equipment to the peninsula, putting them out of service.
“Essentially, Crimea is being isolated by drones. And in the near future, everything indicates that Crimea will turn into an island,” warned Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov in an interview with local media last week.
Victoria Butenko contributed to this report
