Putin says there is “no place on the front where there would be no offensive” by the Russian army. What is it really like?

Fight map for June 5

The offensive of the Russian Armed Forces (AF) at the front accelerated in late May and early June after several months of stagnation and Ukrainian counterattacks. True, despite Vladimir Putin’s victorious reports that “there is no place where there would be no offensive,” Russian successes are concentrated in just a few areas. Thus, in recent weeks, the strength of the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the city of Konstantinovka in the south of the Kramatorsk agglomeration has sharply weakened. This allowed the Russian Armed Forces to break through to the city center from two sides. The Russian offensive continues east of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk on the southern bank of the Seversky Donets River and at the Seversky Donets-Donbass Canal. The pressure of the Russian Armed Forces in the east of the Zaporozhye region also resumed with renewed vigor. Previously, Russian troops there were stopped for several months by Ukrainian counterattacks. In other directions, progress in the best case scenario for the RF Armed Forces is stalled. Most likely, the Russian army will not be able to capture the Kramatorsk agglomeration and adjacent areas of the Donetsk region in 2026.

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Why is it important to attack the Kramatorsk agglomeration specifically?

Vladimir Putin demands that the Ukrainian army leave the territory of the Donetsk region - this is the Kremlin’s condition for concluding a truce. It was allegedly agreed upon by Putin and Donald Trump in Anchorage in 2025. But even now Moscow sometimes demands to give up all “Russian” territories, which also implies the formally annexed Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. Although in Anchorage it was said that in these areas a truce would be concluded along the line of contact. In the event of Kyiv’s refusal (which it repeated many times), the Kremlin promised to seize the territories by force.

Now the territories in the north of the Donetsk region with the center in Kramatorsk and Slavyansk remain under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Fulfillment of the Kremlin’s threats requires the capture of these cities, on which the entire defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donbass rests. The Russian Armed Forces have been attacking the agglomeration from four directions for the last year and a half. In addition, Russia is trying to seize as much land as possible in the Zaporozhye region in order to gain a more advantageous position after the hypothetical division of its territory along the contact line.

All other offensive attempts by the Russian Armed Forces have no strategic and political significance: neither the creation of a “buffer zone” near the border in the Kharkov and Sumy regions, nor the battle for Kupyansk in the Kharkov region brings the Kremlin closer to victory “in the spirit of Anchorage.” Therefore, the Armed Forces of Ukraine concentrated the main forces in the Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions. This (together with the increased use of drones) has slowed the already slow Russian offensive.

Assault on Konstantinovka

After many months of fighting, by the end of 2025, the Russian Armed Forces captured the Toretsk agglomeration and began the assault on Konstantinovka, the southernmost city of the Kramatorsk agglomeration. In area it exceeds even Pokrovsk, which was captured by the Russian Armed Forces.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces were held by Russian troops on the southern outskirts of the city for a long time. Ukrainian positions in the south still remain - fighting continues even in Ivanopol between Toretsk and Konstantinovka. However, these groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were bypassed by units of the Russian Armed Forces advancing along the western and eastern outskirts of the city.
In recent weeks, Russian troops in the southwest of Konstantinovka have fought their way through Ukrainian positions in the suburban village of Ilyinovka and reached the northwestern part of the city. At the same time, units of the Russian Armed Forces, which had previously stormed the largest industrial zone of the city - the Zinc Plant, arrived there along the Krivoi Torets River, which cuts Konstantinovka into two halves.

The Russian Armed Forces advanced north of Dolgaya Balka in the west of Konstantinovka

Russian troops broke through the southwestern suburb of Ilyinovka and captured almost all of the western outskirts of Konstantinovka

Stormtroopers of the Russian Armed Forces broke into the center of Konstantinovka from the south along the Krivoi Torets River

Stormtroopers of the Russian Armed Forces broke through into the center of Konstantinovka from the southeast

The Russian Armed Forces expanded the zone of control in Novodmitrovka east of Konstantinovka

Another Russian group, advancing along the eastern outskirts of Konstantinovka, reached the city center through the suburb of Novodmitrovka.
At the same time, several “pockets” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces remain in the rear of the Russian troops, which are supplied by air with heavy drones.
As the example of the assault on Toretsk shows, even in such unfavorable conditions, Ukrainian troops (and the same units as now in Konstantinovka) can hold the line for weeks and months in almost complete encirclement. However, there is another example - the assault on Pokrovsk and neighboring Mirnograd. There, the rapid infiltration of a large number of Russian assault groups into different areas of the city led to the rapid degradation of the Ukrainian defense.
The capture of Konstantinovka is necessary for the Russian army to accumulate forces (including drone operators) in urban areas in order to continue the offensive to the north - towards Kramatorsk through Druzhkovka. This is what awaits the troops stuck on the approaches to Druzhkovka in the southwest (in the Sofievka area) and southeast (near the Seversky Donets - Donbass canal in the Markovo and Malinovka areas).

Attack on Slavyansk

The Russian Armed Forces captured new positions in the residential area of the city of Liman

A few months after the retreat, the Ukrainian Armed Forces returned to the outskirts of Zarechny

Russian Armed Forces attack aircraft were spotted in the eastern part of the village of Rai-Alexandrovka, southeast of Slavyansk

The Russian Armed Forces crossed the Seversky Donets-Donbass canal near Malinovka south of Kramatorsk

The Ukrainian Armed Forces expanded the control zone in Minkovka on the eastern bank of the Seversky Donets - Donbass canal

Russian troops, who captured the city of Seversk in 2025, continue their offensive along the Seversky Donets River in the direction of Slavyansk.
It was assumed that this operation would be helped by a group operating on the opposite bank of the Seversky Donets and trying to capture the city of Liman and the river crossings to the south. However, this group not only failed to complete its main task, but in recent months it also lost part of the captured territories as a result of Ukrainian counterattacks.
This, in turn, slowed the advance of troops immediately south of the Seversky Donets, where the Russian advance was stopped in the Krivaya Luka area.
The offensive between the river and the Seversky Donets - Donbass canal (with the forces of a division newly arrived from near Kherson) continues. Now Russian troops are focused on capturing the village of Rai-Alexandrovka, covering Slavyansk from the southeast.
In general, the pace of the Russian Armed Forces’ offensive in this sector has decreased significantly since their capture of Seversk at the end of 2025. However, it may accelerate again if the defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to the south - in the vicinity of Konstantinovka - continues to degrade.

Fighting in the east of the Zaporozhye region

Over the last year, the Russian Armed Forces have been conducting an offensive through the city of Gulyaypole (captured at the end of 2025) in the direction of the main “fortress” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the central part of the Zaporozhye region - the city of Orekhova.
After Ukrainian attacks on the border of the Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye regions in winter and early spring (where they broke through 10–15 kilometers through a weak Russian barrier to the Ternovoye and Berezovoye areas), the advance of the Russian Armed Forces stopped on the outskirts of Gulyai-Polye. The Russian command was forced to transfer large reserves from Pokrovsk and Druzhkovka to the direction. This made it possible to stop Ukrainian counterattacks in the area of Berezovoye and Ternovoye and restart the attack on Orekhovo from Gulyai-Polye.

Attack aircraft of the Russian Armed Forces were spotted south of the village of Pokrovskoye, a large logistics base of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Dnepropetrovsk region

The Russian Armed Forces captured Vozdvizhevka in the east of the Zaporozhye region

The Russian army captured Upper Tersa in the east of the Zaporozhye region

The Russian Armed Forces captured Gulyaipolskoye (formerly Komsomolskoye) in the east of the Zaporozhye region and are now threatening the communications of the Ukrainian Armed Forces garrison in Malaya Tokmachka

The Russian Armed Forces have advanced to the West from Charivnoye in the Zaporozhye region and are now threatening the communications of the Ukrainian Armed Forces garrison in Malaya Tokmachka

The Russian Armed Forces have not yet been able to completely eliminate the “pocket” formed as a result of Ukrainian attacks on the border of the Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye regions (although they again captured Ternovoe and Berezovoye). It seems that now the Russian command is trying to solve the problem of covering the northern flank of the group advancing on Orekhov radically - by attacking the village of Pokrovskoye, the main logistics hub of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in this area. At the end of May, attack aircraft of the Russian Armed Forces reached the Volchaya River directly south of Pokrovskoye. Encountering battles on this flank continue.
Meanwhile, the Russian 5th Combined Arms Army, having received reinforcements from near Pokrovsk, resumed its advance east towards Orekhov. By the beginning of June, the Russian Armed Forces reached the line Charivnoye - Gulyaipolskoye (Komsomolskoye) - Verkhnyaya Tersa - Vozdvizhevka, capturing all four villages. Now, with their advance, they threaten to reach the flank and rear of the Ukrainian group defending Malaya Tokmachka and Orekhov itself.

How the parties' control over territories changes

Dynamics of advancement of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation since 2023

Changes in the area of occupied territories in several regions

Interactive map of combat operations

Black indicates the approximate line of contact as of the update date; The red and blue squares indicate areas occupied by Russian and Ukrainian forces - if you click on them, more information will appear. A panel opens on the right, through which you can search by event description. To get a link to the source, click on a point on the map. If something doesn't work, try opening the map in your browser using the link .

Department "Analysis"