The battle of Donbas
was a military offensive that was part of the wider
eastern Ukraine campaign
Ukraine's easternmost oblasts, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv, have been the site of an ongoing theatre of operation since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The battle of Donbas was a major offensive in the easter ...
of the
Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
. The offensive began on 18 April 2022 between the armed forces of
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
and
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
for control of the
Donbas
The Donbas (, ; ) or Donbass ( ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. The majority of the Donbas is occupied by Russia as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
The word ''Donbas'' is a portmanteau formed fr ...
region. Military analysts consider the campaign to have been the second strategic phase of the invasion, after Russia's initial three-pronged attack into Ukraine.
Russia's strategy in the sector was to encircle Ukrainian troops in the Donbas and to annex the entire Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts to the Russian-backed separatist states of the
Donetsk People's Republic
The Donetsk People's Republic (DPR; , ) is Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, occupied territory in Ukraine that the Russian Federation has claimed to annex and declared as a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia, comprising parts o ...
(DPR) and
Luhansk People's Republic
The Luhansk People's Republic (LPR; , ) is a disputed territory administered as a republic of Russia in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast, with its capital in Luhansk. The LPR was proclaimed by Russian-backed paramilitar ...
(LPR). Russia claimed to have controlled 55% of Donetsk Oblast by 23 June 2022
and all of Luhansk Oblast by 3 July 2022, with Russian and separatist forces controlling the cities of
Mariupol
Mariupol is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is situated on the northern coast (Pryazovia) of the Sea of Azov, at the mouth of the Kalmius, Kalmius River. Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was the tenth-largest city in the coun ...
,
Sievierodonetsk
Sievierodonetsk or Severodonetsk, officially since 2024 Siverskodonetsk, is a city in Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located to the northeast of the left bank of the Donets river and approximately to the northwest from the administrati ...
,
Lysychansk
Lysychansk ( , ; , ; , ) is a city in Sievierodonetsk Raion, Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located on the high right bank of the Donets River, approximately from the administrative center of the oblast, Luhansk. It faces Sievierodonet ...
,
Rubizhne
Rubizhne (, ; , ) is a city in Luhansk Oblast, in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Situated on the left bank of the Donets River near the cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk. Prior to 2020, it was a city of oblast significance, befor ...
, and many others.
The Russian offensive stalled in September 2022 and some of the gains were reversed after Ukraine launched its
Kharkiv offensive, with Ukrainian forces recapturing the cities of
Lyman and
Sviatohirsk
Sviatohirsk (, ; , ), formerly Slovianohirsk (), is a city in the northern part of Donetsk Region in Ukraine. It stands on the banks of the Siverskyi Donets River, from the city of Sloviansk. The population is The 16th-century Sviatohirsk L ...
in the Donetsk region and
Bilohorivka Bilohorivka () may refer to several settlements in Ukraine
* Bilohorivka, Donetsk Oblast, a village
* Bilohorivka, a former village in Donetsk Oblast that was disestablished in 2008
* Bilohorivka, Luhansk Oblast, an urban-type settlement
* , ...
in Luhansk oblast.
The Ukrainian counteroffensive also stalled east of the
Oskil river
The Oskil or Oskol (; ) is a south-flowing river in Russia and Ukraine. It arises roughly between Kursk and Voronezh and flows south to join the Siverskyi Donets which flows southeast to join the Don. It is long, with a drainage basin of . , and by November 2022 Russian assaults renewed in
Luhansk
Luhansk (, ; , ), also known as Lugansk (, ; , ), is a city in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine. As of 2022, the population was estimated to be making Luhansk the Cities in Ukraine, 12th-largest city in Ukraine.
Luhansk served as the administra ...
and
Donetsk oblasts.
Background
War in Donbas
Since 2014, the Donbas region had been the site of protracted fighting between Russian-backed separatists from the self-proclaimed
Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics and the
Ukrainian Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...
in the
war in Donbas
The war in Donbas, or the Donbas war, was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. The war Timeline of the war in Donbas (2014), began in April 2014, when Russian separatist forces in Ukraine, Russian para ...
. Between 2014 and late 2021, the war had taken the lives of more than 10,000 combatants (including Ukrainian soldiers, Russian soldiers, and separatist combatants), as well as 3,095 civilians.
Prior operations
In February 2022,
mass evacuations and
general mobilization
Mobilization (alternatively spelled as mobilisation) is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the ...
began in the DPR and LPR quasi-states following aggravations along the "line of contact", the front line which had more or less remained static since 2014. On 21 February 2022, Russia
officially recognized the DPR and LPR as sovereign states.
On 24 February 2022, the
Russian Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russi ...
and the DPR and LPR launched a full-scale invasion of Ukrainian territory across numerous fronts, including in the Donbas. North of the Donbas, Russian and loyalist forces began fighting in the
battle of Kharkiv, as well as numerous other smaller battles aimed at capturing key Ukrainian cities and towns. In southern Donbas, the
siege of Mariupol
The siege of Mariupol began on 24 February 2022 and lasted until 20 May, as part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It saw fighting between the Russian Armed Forces (alongside the Donetsk People's Republic People's Militia) and the Ukrainian ...
began, which would eventually kill over 25,000 civilians and destroy 95% of the city.
On 25 March, Russian officials declared that the first phase of their military operation in Ukraine was complete, announcing that its main objectives had "generally been accomplished." Sergei Rudskoi, head of the
, claimed that the combat potential of the Ukrainian Armed Forces had been "considerably reduced," which would make it possible for Russian forces to focus their efforts on their main goal, the "liberation" of the Donbas region. A diplomatic official in Moscow described the announcement to
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency ...
as a "face-saving move," arguing that Russia had launched the war with much more ambitious aims than just the Donbas.
On 29 March 2022, Russian officials declared that they intended to scale back their
military operations in the region around the capital city of
Kyiv
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
. This effectively ended Russian operations in
northern Ukraine
This is a list of historical regions in present-day Ukraine.
Main historical regions
Traditional regions
The traditional names of the regions of Ukraine are important geographic, historical, and ethnographic identifiers.
* Over-Dnieper ...
. Russian military officials declared that the Ukrainian Navy and Air Force had been neutralized. They also stated that the DPR and LPR controlled 54% and 93% of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, respectively.
The tactical withdrawal of Russian forces from the north was completed by 6 April 2022.
Russian forces captured Izium, a strategic city in eastern
Kharkiv Oblast
Kharkiv Oblast (, ), also referred to as Kharkivshchyna (), is an oblast (province) in eastern Ukraine.
Kharkiv borders Luhansk Oblast to the east, Donetsk Oblast to the southeast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the southwest, Poltava Oblast to the w ...
, on 1 April.
After taking Izium, Russian troops then advanced south towards , which lies on the road to the strategically positioned city of
Sloviansk
Sloviansk is a city in Donetsk Oblast, northern part of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. The city was known as ''Tor'' until 1784. While it did not actually belong to the raion itself, Sloviansk served as the administrative center of the S ...
. On 6 April, an Izium government official told CNN that intercepted radio communications revealed Russian plans "to capture the Donetsk region from the north". The
Institute for the Study of War
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is an American nonprofit research group and advocacy think tank founded in 2007 by military historian Kimberly Kagan and headquartered in Washington, D.C. ISW provides research and analysis of modern arm ...
(ISW) predicted that "efforts by Russian forces advancing south from Izium to capture Sloviansk" would become "the next pivotal battle of the war in Ukraine", with the
1st Guards Tank Army
The 1st Guards Tank Red Banner Army () is a tank army of the Russian Ground Forces (Military Unit Number 73621).
The army traces its heritage back to the 1st Tank Army, formed twice in July 1942 and in January 1943 and converted into the 1st ...
having been redeployed to this direction from the Kharkiv and Sumy fronts.
Prelude
In mid-April 2022,
U.S. intelligence
The United States Intelligence Community (IC) is a group of separate U.S. federal government intelligence agencies and subordinate organizations that work to conduct intelligence activities which support the foreign policy and national secur ...
reported that Russia was "repositioning" its military units to the Donbas. Russian units from northern Ukraine battlefronts in Kyiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, and elsewhere were noted by
Maxar
Maxar Technologies Inc. is an American space technology company headquartered in Westminster, Colorado, United States, specializing in geospatial intelligence, Earth observation, and on-orbit servicing satellites, satellite products, and relate ...
satellite imagery to be relocating to the Donbas region, while reinforcements from regions in Belarus and Russia supplemented these units. By 13 April, military analysts expected Russia to imminently launch a "battle for Donbas" as new reinforcements arrived from Russia, Belarus, and northern Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov
Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov (, ; born 21 March 1950) is a Russian diplomat who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs (Russia), Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2004. He is the longest-serving Russian foreign minister since Andrei Gromyko d ...
acknowledged the beginning of a new offensive in Donbas, claiming it to be a "very important moment in this entire special operation." To address the new stage of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, French President
Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...
and US president
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
held a meeting with representatives from
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, and
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
. They were joined by
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
Secretary General
Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...
Jens Stoltenberg
Jens Stoltenberg (; born 16 March 1959) is a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party. Since 2025, he has been the Minister of Finance in the Støre Cabinet. He has previously been the prime minister of Norway and secretary general of NATO.
...
,
European Commission President
The president of the European Commission, also known as president of the College of Commissioners is the head of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union (EU). The president of the Commission leads a cabinet of commis ...
Ursula von der Leyen
Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen (; ; born 8 October 1958) is a German politician, serving as president of the European Commission since 2019. She served in the Cabinet of Germany, German federal government between 2005 and 2019, holding position ...
and
European Council President Charles Michel
Charles Michel (; born 21 December 1975) is a Belgian politician who served as the president of the European Council from 2019 to 2024. He previously served as the Prime Minister of Belgium, prime minister of Belgium between 2014 and 2019. Miche ...
.
Russian objectives
On 22 April 2022, a commander of Russia's
Central Military District
The Order of the Red Banner Central Military District () is a Military districts of Russia, military district of Russia.
It is one of the five military districts of the Russian Armed Forces, with its jurisdiction primarily within the centr ...
,
Rustam Minnekayev
use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) -->
, death_place = Kabulistan
, death_cause = With the conspiracy of his half-brother Shaghad, he fell into a wel ...
, declared that the aim of the "second phase" of the country's invasion of Ukraine was to fully seize Donbas and
Southern Ukraine
Southern Ukraine (, ) refers, generally, to the territories in the South of Ukraine.
The territory usually corresponds with the Soviet economical district, the Southern Economical District of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The region ...
and to establish a land corridor with
Transnistria
Transnistria, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and locally as Pridnestrovie, is a Landlocked country, landlocked Transnistria conflict#International recognition of Transnistria, breakaway state internationally recogn ...
, a
Russian-occupied, internationally unrecognized breakaway republic that is internationally recognized as part of
Moldova
Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
. He alleged that there was "evidence that the Russian-speaking population is being oppressed" in Transnistria.
The
Ministry of Defence of Ukraine
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine () is the ministry of the Ukrainian government that oversees national defence and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The head of the ministry is the Minister of Defence. The President of Ukraine is the Supreme Com ...
replied to this announcement by describing Russia's intentions as
imperialism
Imperialism is the maintaining and extending of Power (international relations), power over foreign nations, particularly through expansionism, employing both hard power (military and economic power) and soft power (diplomatic power and cultura ...
, saying that it contradicted previous Russian claims that assured that Russia did not have territorial ambitions over Ukraine and that Russia had admitted that "the goal of the 'second phase' of the war is not victory over the mythical Nazis, but simply the occupation of eastern and southern Ukraine".
In mid-April 2022, Western defense and intelligence officials told ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...
'' that Russia's main targets were the cities of Sloviansk and
Kramatorsk
Kramatorsk (, ; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Kramatorsk Raion in Donetsk Oblast of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Prior to 2020, Kramatorsk was a city of oblast significance. Since October 2014, Kramatorsk has been the ...
, described as holding the key to control over Donbas. The Russian military was expected to advance on these cities from three directions: south from Izium, west from
Sievierodonetsk
Sievierodonetsk or Severodonetsk, officially since 2024 Siverskodonetsk, is a city in Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located to the northeast of the left bank of the Donets river and approximately to the northwest from the administrati ...
, and north from the city of
Donetsk
Donetsk ( , ; ; ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin, and Stalino, is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine located on the Kalmius River in Donetsk Oblast, which is currently occupied by Russia as the capita ...
.
[
On 30 June 2022, ISW assessed that despite Russia's concentration in the east, they still had territorial ambitions beyond Luhansk and Donetsk Oblast. According to Russian sources, the official representative of the LPR forces, Andrey Marochko, stated on 3 July 2022 that in order to secure the LPR land, their, DPR and Russian forces must push the Ukrainian forces away from the LPR's borders for no less than 300 kilometers. The 300 km claim would mean the full ]Kharkiv Oblast
Kharkiv Oblast (, ), also referred to as Kharkivshchyna (), is an oblast (province) in eastern Ukraine.
Kharkiv borders Luhansk Oblast to the east, Donetsk Oblast to the southeast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the southwest, Poltava Oblast to the w ...
and Donetsk region, parts of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast (), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in simultaneously southern, eastern and central Ukraine, the most important industrial region of the country. It was created on February 27, 1932. Dnipropetro ...
, Zaporizhzhia Oblast
Zaporizhzhia Oblast (), commonly referred to as Zaporizhzhia (), is an oblast (region) in south-east Ukraine. Its administrative centre is the city of Zaporizhzhia. The oblast covers an area of , and has a population of The oblast is an import ...
, Sumy Oblast
Sumy Oblast (), also known as Sumshchyna (), is an oblast (province) in northeast Ukraine. The oblast was created in its modern-day form, from the merging of raions from Kharkiv Oblast, Chernihiv Oblast, and Poltava Oblast in 1939 by the Presid ...
and Poltava Oblast
Poltava Oblast (), also referred to as Poltavshchyna (), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) of central Ukraine. The capital city, administrative center of the oblast is the city of Poltava. Most of its territory was par ...
. Russian sources said that the LPR's ambassador in Russia, , confirmed on 4 July 2022 that LPR troops would continue to participate in the Donbas offensive, saying the presence of Ukrainian units along the LPR's borders would threaten security.
Opposing forces and foreign involvement
Russian and pro-Russian forces
On 18 April, a U.S. Department of Defense official said Russia had deployed an additional 11 battalion tactical group
A battalion tactical group (, ''batal'onnaya takticheskaya gruppa''), abbreviated as BTG, is a Combined arms, combined-arms manoeuvre unit deployed by the Russian Army that is kept at a high level of readiness. A BTG typically comprises a battali ...
s (BTGs) days before launching the offensive, resulting in a total of 76 BTGs operating in both Donbas and southeastern Ukraine. An estimated 12 BTGs were engaged in the siege of Mariupol
The siege of Mariupol began on 24 February 2022 and lasted until 20 May, as part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It saw fighting between the Russian Armed Forces (alongside the Donetsk People's Republic People's Militia) and the Ukrainian ...
. According to ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', the 76 battalion tactical groups constituted approximately 60,000 soldiers, which was about three-fourths of the manpower of the invasion force.[ However, the Ukrainian General Staff said on the same day that there were 87 Russian BTGs across Ukraine with a total of 70,000 soldiers.]
A senior U.S. defense official said that two more Russian battalion tactical groups were deployed between 18 and 19 April, for a total of 78 BTGs across southern and eastern Ukraine. ''AP News
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are distributed to its members, maj ...
'' estimated that Russia had 55,000–62,000 troops in Ukraine, based on an earlier Pentagon statement that the typical size of a BTG was 700-800 soldiers.[
Western media, citing European officials, reported that 10,000–20,000 Libyan, Syrian, and ]Wagner Group
The Wagner Group (), officially known as PMC Wagner (, ), is a Russian state-funded private military company (PMC) controlled 2023 Wagner Group plane crash, until 2023 by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former close ally of Russia's president Vladimir Pu ...
mercenaries were deployed for the offensive in the Donbas.
British military expert Frank Ledwidge wrote on 12 April that Russian forces were "nowhere near" the three-to-one ratio that attacking forces should number over their opponents, according to what he called "one of the firmest rules of warfare." However, Russian forces achieved a three-to-one numerical superiority over their Ukrainian counterparts by 25 April, according to the BBC and the Financial Times, citing Western experts.[
]
Ukrainian forces
Before the February invasion, 40,000 Ukrainian troops were stationed in the Donbas. ''Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...
'' called those forces, veterans of the Joint Forces Operation, "some of Ukraine's best trained and most battle-hardened soldiers".
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...
said on 14 April that Ukrainian forces numbered 44,000 in the Donbas region.[ On 19 April, the BBC reported that Ukrainian troops in the Donbas numbered 40,000–50,000 men.]
Foreign support for Ukraine
The Ukrainians continued a campaign of targeting Russian ammunition depots and logistics sites in Donetsk province with air strikes and, reportedly, U.S.-supplied M142 HIMARS
The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS ) is a light multiple rocket launcher developed in the late 1990s for the United States Army and mounted on a standard U.S. Army Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) M1140 truck fram ...
or M270
The M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (M270 MLRS) is an American armored self-propelled multiple launch rocket system.
The U.S. Army variant of the M270 is based on the chassis of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The first M270s were delivere ...
rocket artillery
Rocket artillery is artillery that uses rockets as the projectile. The use of rocket artillery dates back to medieval China where devices such as fire arrows were used (albeit mostly as a psychological weapon). Fire arrows were also used in mult ...
systems. Video emerged of an apparent ammunition depot in Snizhne
Snizhne (, ) or Snezhnoye (), formerly known as Vasylivka (; ) until 1864, is a city in Horlivka Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. The eastern edge of Snizhne is adjacent to administrative border of Luhansk Oblast. Its population is
History
The ...
, Donetsk Oblast exploding, with pro-Ukrainian sources suggesting Ukrainian forces used M142 HIMARS
The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS ) is a light multiple rocket launcher developed in the late 1990s for the United States Army and mounted on a standard U.S. Army Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) M1140 truck fram ...
supplied by the U.S. to attack the depot deep behind Russian-DPR front lines. Oleksiy Arestovych
Oleksii Mykolaiovych Arestovych (; born 3 August 1975) is a Ukrainian political adviser, former military officer, and columnist. He is also a theologian and the founder of the Apeiron School. Arestovych was a speaker for the Trilateral Contact G ...
, a Ukrainian presidential advisor, claimed that continued attacks on Russian ammunition depots and increased Ukrainian artillery supplies from NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
countries were forcing the Russians to conserve artillery shells and rockets for the first time. He argued that if this trend continued, the Ukrainians would, eventually, achieve artillery and logistical superiority on the battlefield in the Donbas. President Zelenskyy, in his nightly public address, also hailed the impact Western-supplied artillery pieces were reportedly having on Russian logistics and strike capabilities. In late July 2022, Ukrainian soldiers and officers fighting in Donetsk offered anecdotal evidence of a significant reduction in Russian artillery fire.
The Mozart Group, a group of former Western soldiers serving as volunteers in Ukraine, was evacuating civilians and offering informal combat training to Ukrainian troops, primarily on casualty care and medical evacuation
Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to patients requiring evacuation or transport using medically equipped air ambulances, helicopters and ...
.
Battle
Early operations (April–May 2022)
On the night of 18 April 2022, Russian forces launched an intensive bombardment campaign against positions in Luhansk, Donetsk, and Kharkiv Oblasts. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...
announced that the "battle for Donbas" had begun. Russian artillery pounded cities in the Donbas, aiming at destroying critical infrastructure.
On 18 April, in the Slobozhansky and Donetsk operational districts, Russian troops intensified offensive operations in some areas, attempting to break through the Ukrainian defenses along almost the entire front line in Donetsk, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions. The head of the Luhansk regional military administration and effective governor of the oblast, Serhiy Haidai
Serhiy Volodymyrovych Haidai (; born 6 November 1975) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian entrepreneur and politician. He was the Governor of Luhansk Oblast, head of the Luhansk Regional Military–Civil Administration from 25 October 2019 to 15 March 202 ...
, called on the region's residents to evacuate immediately so as to not become hostages or be killed by the Russians.
Popasna
Large areas of Popasna
Popasna (; ; known as Imeni Kahanovycha from around 1930 to 1944) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city in Sievierodonetsk Raion, Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Popasna urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. I ...
were occupied
' ( Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 October ...
during the first week of the battle of Donbas. On 20 April, Libyan and Syrian mercenaries likely associated with the Wagner Group
The Wagner Group (), officially known as PMC Wagner (, ), is a Russian state-funded private military company (PMC) controlled 2023 Wagner Group plane crash, until 2023 by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former close ally of Russia's president Vladimir Pu ...
allegedly clashed with Ukrainian forces in Popasna. The Ukrainian government claimed that 20–25 mercenaries had been killed.
In late April, Russian forces were said to be preparing to capture Popasna and advance past it. By 7 May, the now largely destroyed city of Popasna was captured by Russian and Luhansk People's Republic forces, with this being confirmed by the regional governor.
Donetsk Oblast
In the first week of the battle of Donbas, a Ukrainian official claimed that Russian forces captured 42 villages in the Donetsk Oblast, though she did not specify which villages had been captured. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government stated their forces launched a counterattack and recaptured the town of Marinka. Russian shelling overnight in Donetsk Oblast on 20 April killed two civilians and wounded nine, according to online news sources. , in northern Donetsk Oblast was captured by Russian and LPR forces on 23 April,[ followed by ]Yatskivka
Yatskivka (; ) is village in Kramatorsk Raion in Donetsk Oblast of eastern Ukraine
The village is located near the southern corner of the Oskil Reservoir.
History
Russian invasion of Ukraine
The village came under attack by Russian forc ...
and on 26 April, and Zarichne on 27 April.
Between 22 April and 29 April, 110 DPR servicemen were killed and 451 were injured. On 24 May, Russian forces intensified artillery strikes against Avdiivka
Avdiivka (, ; , ) is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. The city is located in the centre of the oblast, just north of the regional centre, Donetsk. The large Avdiivka Coke Plant is located in Avdiivka. The city had a population of before th ...
and took advantage of their previous capture of Novoselivka to advance on Avdiivka and gain highway access toward Sloviansk
Sloviansk is a city in Donetsk Oblast, northern part of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. The city was known as ''Tor'' until 1784. While it did not actually belong to the raion itself, Sloviansk served as the administrative center of the S ...
.
Luhansk Oblast
Kreminna
Kreminna (, ) is a city in Sievierodonetsk Raion, Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. Prior to 2020, it served as the administrative center of former Kreminna Raion. Its population was estimated at as of January 2022.
Following the Russian invasio ...
was captured by Russian and separatist forces overnight between 17 and 18 April, becoming the first city to fall since the beginning of the offensive. Ukrainian officials reported on 25 April that Russian forces were killed in a gas explosion in the Russian-occupied Kreminna City Hall.
On 24 April, Russian and LPR forces seized the small towns of Popivka, Pishchane, and Zhytlivka northwest of Sievierodonetsk, establishing a bridgehead over the Krasna River, though ISW assessed that Russian troops in the region remained unlikely to be able to launch large offensive operations.[ South of the Seversky Donets river, the Ukrainian military announced that ]Novotoshkivske
Novotoshkivske (; ) is a rural settlement in Sievierodonetsk Raion (district) in Luhansk Oblast of eastern Ukraine, at 52 km WNW from the centre of Luhansk city. Population:
People from the town include Olena Tokar who made a career in Europ ...
fell on 27 April.
Russian forces advanced in Rubizhne
Rubizhne (, ; , ) is a city in Luhansk Oblast, in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Situated on the left bank of the Donets River near the cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk. Prior to 2020, it was a city of oblast significance, befor ...
between 19 and 20 April. In late April, ISW said that Russian forces were pushing to encircle and fully capture Rubizhne
Rubizhne (, ; , ) is a city in Luhansk Oblast, in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Situated on the left bank of the Donets River near the cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk. Prior to 2020, it was a city of oblast significance, befor ...
,[ which fell on 12 May.
From 5–13 May, a major battle on the ]Donets
The Seversky Donets () or Siverskyi Donets (), usually simply called the Donets (), is a river on the south of the East European Plain. It originates in the Central Russian Upland, north of Belgorod, flows south-east through Ukraine (Kharkiv ...
river took place, with Ukrainian defenders successfully repelling multiple Russian attempts to cross the river. The Ukrainian armed forces claimed to have destroyed an entire battalion of Russian forces, killing up to 1,000–1,500 soldiers. The Institute for the Study of War
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is an American nonprofit research group and advocacy think tank founded in 2007 by military historian Kimberly Kagan and headquartered in Washington, D.C. ISW provides research and analysis of modern arm ...
(ISW) think tank
A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...
reported that out of a force of 550 Russian troops, 485 were killed and wounded, as well as 80 vehicles lost.
According to Ukrainian sources, the Russian military had allegedly planned to capture the entire Luhansk Oblast by 9 May
Events Pre-1600
* 328 – Athanasius is elected Patriarch of Alexandria.
*1009 – Lombard Revolt: Lombard forces led by Melus revolt in Bari against the Byzantine Catepanate of Italy.
*1386 – England and Portugal formally rat ...
.
Izium–Sloviansk front
Russian forces on the Izium front were reinforced in late April, amid continued attacks toward Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, and Barvinkove
Barvinkove (, ) is a city in Izium Raion, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Barvinkove urban hromada, one of the communities of Ukraine. Population:
History
Barvinkove was first mentioned in 1653.
At the beginning of it ...
. Russian sources identified Dovhenke as the last Ukrainian-held settlement on the Sloviansk front before the Kharkiv–Donetsk Oblast border. ISW assessed that the Russian advances from Izium were intended to merge with offensives from territory held by the Donetsk People's Republic.[
Kharkiv Oblast governor ]Oleh Syniehubov
Oleh Vasyliovych Syniehubov (; born 10 August 1983) is a Ukrainian lawyer, attorney, scientist and entrepreneur who is currently the Governor of Kharkiv Oblast (since 24 December 2021) after being Governor of Poltava Oblast (appointed on 11 N ...
claimed the Ukrainian military launched a counterattack against Russian forces near Izium
Izium or Izyum (, ; ) is a city on the Donets River in Kharkiv Oblast, eastern Ukraine that serves as the administrative center of Izium Raion and Izium urban hromada. It is about southeast of the city of Kharkiv, the oblast's administrative cen ...
on 14 May. On the same day, however, pro-Russian Telegram channels claimed that Russian forces entered Dovhenke, but the ISW assessed that they were unable to secure the settlement due to heavy fighting, and suggested that a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the region had yet to begin.[
By 15 May, ISW noted that Russian forces had likely been scaling down their operations from Izium toward Sloviansk, which they characterized as "slow" and "unsuccessful".]
Capture of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk, attempted advance on Sloviansk (May–July 2022)
By 15 May, the Institute for the Study of War assessed that Russian military command had likely abandoned its "more ambitious" goal of seizing the Donetsk Oblast through a large encirclement, predicting that the battle of Sievierodonetsk and the capture of Luhansk Oblast would be prioritized going forward.[
By late May, Russian forces had broken through in many regions across the front line. Russian troops were seen to be using a new "cauldron" approach to their efforts, abandoning large encirclements in favor of smaller ones, which enabled them to make the first major gains of the battle.
]
Capture of Lyman and Sviatohirsk
Pro-Russian separatist officials announced that their forces had begun an assault on Lyman on 24 May; they captured the city by the 26th or 27th. Ukrainian forces were also reported to have been leaving Sviatohirsk
Sviatohirsk (, ; , ), formerly Slovianohirsk (), is a city in the northern part of Donetsk Region in Ukraine. It stands on the banks of the Siverskyi Donets River, from the city of Sloviansk. The population is The 16th-century Sviatohirsk L ...
, the last Ukrainian-controlled city north of the Donets
The Seversky Donets () or Siverskyi Donets (), usually simply called the Donets (), is a river on the south of the East European Plain. It originates in the Central Russian Upland, north of Belgorod, flows south-east through Ukraine (Kharkiv ...
river, which fell to Russian and separatist forces by 8 June.
Izium–Sloviansk front
According to the Ukrainian News Agency, Ukrainian soldiers repelled a new assault on Dovhenke on 6 June. On 7 June, combined Russian and LPR forces launched an offensive through the forests south of Izium towards the city of Sloviansk
Sloviansk is a city in Donetsk Oblast, northern part of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. The city was known as ''Tor'' until 1784. While it did not actually belong to the raion itself, Sloviansk served as the administrative center of the S ...
, but were stopped at Bohorodychne and Krasnopillia.
The Ukrainian military frequently reported combat in the areas of Dovhenke, Mazanivka, Krasnopillia, Dolyna, and Bohorodychne throughout June. By capturing Bohorodychne and Krasnopillia, Russian and separatist forces would be able to push southwards to Sloviansk
Sloviansk is a city in Donetsk Oblast, northern part of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. The city was known as ''Tor'' until 1784. While it did not actually belong to the raion itself, Sloviansk served as the administrative center of the S ...
and Kramatorsk
Kramatorsk (, ; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Kramatorsk Raion in Donetsk Oblast of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Prior to 2020, Kramatorsk was a city of oblast significance. Since October 2014, Kramatorsk has been the ...
, two of the last major Ukrainian-held cities in Donetsk Oblast.
Popasna–Bakhmut front
On 20 May, Russian forces made further advances in the west and south of Popasna, with the aim of cutting off the road to Sievierodonetsk
Sievierodonetsk or Severodonetsk, officially since 2024 Siverskodonetsk, is a city in Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located to the northeast of the left bank of the Donets river and approximately to the northwest from the administrati ...
. Despite stiff Ukrainian resistance, Russian forces finally broke through in the Popasna area on 20 May. By 22 May, Russian forces managed to secure their route of advance and attempted to simultaneously push west towards Bakhmut
Bakhmut is a city in eastern Ukraine. It is officially the administrative center of Bakhmut urban hromada and Bakhmut Raion in Donetsk Oblast. The city is located on the Bakhmutka River, about north of Donetsk, the administrative center ...
and north to cut off-road links to Sievierodonetsk. By 24 May, Russian forces captured the town of Svitlodarsk
Svitlodarsk (, ; ) is a city in Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. The city has a population of
It is an industrial town, built as the home for the Vuhlehirska power station.
During the war in Donbas that began in 2014, the c ...
.
Sievierodonetsk front
On 1 June, Ukraine announced that 7080% of Sieverodonetsk had been captured by Russian forces. On 3 June, Ukraine claimed to have launched a counterattack to take back 20% of the city. On 8 June, however, the Ukrainian Army was pushed back to the outskirts of the city.
With the breakthrough west of Popasna significantly slowed by Ukrainian heavy guns, Russia began an offensive to the northeast of Popasna, aiming to bypass the Siverskyi Donets river and bombard Lysychansk from the south. The ISW assessed that Russian commanders had been given the deadline of 26 June to make a breakthrough and seize Luhansk Oblast's full administrative territory.
Fall of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk
The Russian military began breaking through in the south by 21 June, seizing Toshkivka
Toshkivka (; ) is a rural settlement in Sievierodonetsk Raion, Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located at about west-north-west from the centre of Luhansk. Population: Since June 2022, it has been occupied by Russia, which claims it as p ...
and capturing , Myrna Dolyna
Myrna Dolyna () is a rural settlement in Sievierodonetsk Raion (district) in Luhansk Oblast of eastern Ukraine. Population:
History
Until 18 July 2020, Myrna Dolyna was located in Popasna Raion. The raion was abolished in July 2020 as part o ...
, and all on 22 June. On 23 June, Russian forces cut off and surrounded the towns of Hirske
Hirske (, ; ) is a city in Sievierodonetsk Raion, Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Hirske urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Its population is
Before 1938, it was named Hirsko-Ivanivsk (). During ...
and Zolote, which they claimed to have fully captured by next day. In addition, Russia made a push to fully secure the Azot chemical plant in Sievierodonetsk, which by 14 June had become the last refuge for Ukrainian soldiers in the city. Russian troops were less successful on the northern axis, attempting to make breakthroughs near Mykolaivka and Bohorodychne
Bohorodychne (; ) is a village in Kramatorsk Raion (district) in Donetsk Oblast of south-eastern Ukraine, at about north-northwest from the centre of Donetsk city, on the right bank of the Siverskyi Donets river.
History
It was founded in the ...
, in an attempt to advance on the Donetsk city of Sloviansk
Sloviansk is a city in Donetsk Oblast, northern part of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. The city was known as ''Tor'' until 1784. While it did not actually belong to the raion itself, Sloviansk served as the administrative center of the S ...
. Nonetheless, the Russian advance ground on, with Russia's breakthrough in the south putting pressure on the few remaining Ukrainian defenders of Luhansk Oblast to withdraw to defensive lines near the border with Donetsk Oblast.
Russian forces had fully encircled Hirske
Hirske (, ; ) is a city in Sievierodonetsk Raion, Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Hirske urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Its population is
Before 1938, it was named Hirsko-Ivanivsk (). During ...
and Zolote in their drive north to Lysychansk by 24 June. Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces had suffered over 1,000 casualties, including 800 prisoners, in Hirske, Zolote and near Lysychansk over the previous two days.
Also on 24 June, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar claimed that the Russians were firing 60,000 shells per day, 10 times more than the Ukrainians.
By 25 June, Ukrainian officials had announced that their troops had retreated from Sievierodonetsk in order to avoid being surrounded by Russian troops, signalling the city's capture.[Mayor Says Ukrainian Troops Have 'Almost Left' Sievierodonetsk](_blank)
/ref> By 1 July, Russian forces continued encircling Lysychansk from the south and west, attempting to cut off the T1302 Lysychansk-Bakhmut
Bakhmut is a city in eastern Ukraine. It is officially the administrative center of Bakhmut urban hromada and Bakhmut Raion in Donetsk Oblast. The city is located on the Bakhmutka River, about north of Donetsk, the administrative center ...
highway from the city. As part of the encirclement, Russian forces claimed to have also seized Pryvillia
Pryvillia (; ) is a city in Lysychansk urban hromada, Luhansk Oblast (oblast, region) of Ukraine. Population:
Geography
Pryvillia is situated on steep slopes along the right bank of the Siverskyi Donets River.
History
On 7 May 2022, Russi ...
, northwest of Lysychansk, after units made river crossings to the north and west of the town. Ukrainian positions near Siversk
Siversk (, ; ), formerly known as Yama () until 1973, is a city in Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. Its economy has traditionally been based around the mining and processing of dolomite. In January 2022, it had an estimated population o ...
, Bilohorivka Bilohorivka () may refer to several settlements in Ukraine
* Bilohorivka, Donetsk Oblast, a village
* Bilohorivka, a former village in Donetsk Oblast that was disestablished in 2008
* Bilohorivka, Luhansk Oblast, an urban-type settlement
* , ...
, Vovchoyarivka, Berestove, Yakovlivka, Vidrodzhennia, Mayorsk, and the Vuhlehirska thermal power plant were shelled by artillery.
On 2–3 July, Russia and LPR separatist forces claimed to have captured and controlled Lysychansk, however Ukrainian officials, including president Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...
, had yet to officially acknowledge the strategic city's capture, only saying there were ongoing fierce clashes for the city. The Institute for the Study of War
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is an American nonprofit research group and advocacy think tank founded in 2007 by military historian Kimberly Kagan and headquartered in Washington, D.C. ISW provides research and analysis of modern arm ...
(ISW) supported the Russian claim that Lysychansk had fallen on 2 July, suggesting the Ukrainian defenders likely "deliberately withdrew" from the city. Furthermore, the Russian defence ministry claimed to have captured and were in the process of clearing many settlements on the Lysychansk outskirts, including Verkhniokamianka, Zolotarivka, Bilohorivka Bilohorivka () may refer to several settlements in Ukraine
* Bilohorivka, Donetsk Oblast, a village
* Bilohorivka, a former village in Donetsk Oblast that was disestablished in 2008
* Bilohorivka, Luhansk Oblast, an urban-type settlement
* , ...
, Novodruzhesk, Maloriazantseve, and Bila Hora. Ukrainian officials subsequently conceded that Lysychansk was captured.
With the fall of Lysychansk and its western outskirts, Russia and the Luhansk People's Republic declared full control of Luhansk Oblast for the first time, achieving an objective of the Russian-led campaign. Russian shelling of Sloviansk
Sloviansk is a city in Donetsk Oblast, northern part of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. The city was known as ''Tor'' until 1784. While it did not actually belong to the raion itself, Sloviansk served as the administrative center of the S ...
intensified on 3 July.
Russian operational pause (4–16 July 2022)
After fully capturing and occupying Luhansk Oblast, Russian president Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
ordered defence minister Sergei Shoigu
Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu; , . (born 21 May 1955) is a Russian politician and military officer who has served as secretary of the Security Council since 2024. He served as Minister of Defence of Russia from 2012 to 2024. Shoigu has served a ...
to continue the offensive in Donbas as planned, adding that units that fought on the Luhansk front "should certainly rest and increase their combat capabilities." According to the Institute for the Study of War, Russian forces made no claimed or assessed territorial gains "for the first time in 133 days of war" and suggested that Russia was likely taking an "operational pause" to rest and regroup its forces before a planned renewed assault. The UK defence ministry expected the city of Siversk
Siversk (, ; ), formerly known as Yama () until 1973, is a city in Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. Its economy has traditionally been based around the mining and processing of dolomite. In January 2022, it had an estimated population o ...
to be the immediate tactical objective of their renewed assault. By 14 July, Haidai said that Russian forces were trying to take Siversk in order to eventually advance on Bakhmut.
An intelligence briefing by the UK defence ministry on 4 July said Russian forces would "almost certainly" transition to capturing the rest of Donetsk Oblast
Donetsk Oblast, also referred to as Donechchyna (, ), is an Oblasts of Ukraine, oblast in eastern Ukraine. It is Ukraine's most populous province, with around 4.1 million residents. Its capital city, administrative centre is Donetsk, though d ...
, around 55 percent of which was already in control by Russian and Donetsk People's Republic
The Donetsk People's Republic (DPR; , ) is Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, occupied territory in Ukraine that the Russian Federation has claimed to annex and declared as a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia, comprising parts o ...
(DPR) separatist forces. The ministry predicted the fighting in Donetsk would continue to be "grinding and attritional," typified by massive artillery shelling leveling towns and cities amid slow ground advances. Ukraine's governor of Luhansk, Serhiy Haidai
Serhiy Volodymyrovych Haidai (; born 6 November 1975) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian entrepreneur and politician. He was the Governor of Luhansk Oblast, head of the Luhansk Regional Military–Civil Administration from 25 October 2019 to 15 March 202 ...
said he expected Donetsk cities such as Sloviansk and Bakhmut
Bakhmut is a city in eastern Ukraine. It is officially the administrative center of Bakhmut urban hromada and Bakhmut Raion in Donetsk Oblast. The city is located on the Bakhmutka River, about north of Donetsk, the administrative center ...
to soon come under heavy Russian attack, and said both cities were increasingly being shelled. Similar to UK intelligence reports, the Ukrainians expected the Russians to push west along the Bakhmut-Lysychansk highway. On 5 July, the mayor of Sloviansk, , urged residents to evacuate the city. "The nearest Russian positions are 7–10 km from the city," said Liakh. The governor of Donetsk Oblast
Donetsk Oblast, also referred to as Donechchyna (, ), is an Oblasts of Ukraine, oblast in eastern Ukraine. It is Ukraine's most populous province, with around 4.1 million residents. Its capital city, administrative centre is Donetsk, though d ...
, Pavlo Kyrylenko
Pavlo Oleksandrovych Kyrylenko (; born 5 May 1986) is a Ukrainian prosecutor and politician. He has served as head of the Ukrainian Anti-Monopoly Committee since September 2023.
Kyrylenko is a former Governor of Donetsk Oblast. Under martial ...
, urged the 350,000 remaining residents to evacuate the province. All civilians remaining in the unoccupied parts of Donetsk region were later ordered to evacuate by Zelenskyy on 30 July. According to Ukrainian estimates, 200,000–220,000 civilians still lived there at the time.
Haidai claimed that an attempt by Russian regular and reserve troops to expand a bridgehead
In military strategy, a bridgehead (or bridge-head) is the strategically important area of ground around the end of a bridge or other place of possible crossing over a body of water which at time of conflict is sought to be defended or taken over ...
on the Donets river had been stalled by a Ukrainian artillery attack. Pro-Russian sources claimed the village of Spirne had been captured and advances were made during renewed ground assaults on the northern Donetsk village of Verkhnokamyansk; the claims were not independently confirmed at the time. Reportedly, both Russian and Ukrainian sources confirmed that Ukrainian forces had recaptured the village of Solodke in a limited counterattack.[ A separatist official claimed that Russian forces captured the village of Hryhorivka on 9 July.
On 11 July, President Zelenskyy dismissed the notion that there was an ongoing "operational pause" by the Russians, citing continued deadly shelling, air strikes, and continued reports of Ukrainian troops "repelling" various Russian assaults. Zelenskyy insisted that 34 Russian airstrikes in the past 24 hours were not indicative of an "operational pause".
British intelligence assessed that the Russian army's next focus would be small towns on the approach to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, two cities which it said remained main Russian targets. The Ukrainian General Staff similarly expected future Russian assaults with the aim of creating more favorable conditions for an offensive from Izium to Sloviansk. Sloviansk was both geographically strategic and symbolically significant for its role in the earlier ]war in Donbas
The war in Donbas, or the Donbas war, was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. The war Timeline of the war in Donbas (2014), began in April 2014, when Russian separatist forces in Ukraine, Russian para ...
.
Amid small-scale Russian ground assaults near Sloviansk, Siversk, and Bakhmut on 15 July, ISW suggested that Russian forces were emerging from their operational pause. The next day, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the operational pause had effectively finished.
Renewed assaults in Donetsk Oblast (17 July–6 September 2022)
By 17 July, Russian forces were in control of about 55% of Donetsk Oblast. Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Deputy Minister of Information Daniil Bezsonov stated on 25 July that the DPR expected to capture the entirety of Donetsk Oblast by the end of August. Various Russian and Western sources had previously reported that Russia intended to hold referendums in occupied areas by the first half of September, likely sometime around 11 September, which is the unified voting day in the Russian Federation.
According to ISW, Russian forces had yet to make any meaningful forward progress by 20 July. Efforts to advance on Sloviansk had "mostly ground to a halt", with no significant Russian advances in weeks. Russian troops had yet to reach Siversk despite trying to capture it since taking Lysychansk, and were said to be degrading their combat power in localized fights for small, "unimportant" settlements south and east of Bakhmut. The think tank expected the renewed Russian offensive to culminate along the E40 highway without seizing Sloviansk or Bakhmut.
By late July, ''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' said that Russian advances in Ukraine had slowed "almost to a standstill". George Barros, an ISW analyst, told the newspaper that Russian forces were close to exhausting their ability to gain territory. He said the Russians might succeed in capturing "one or two more" towns, namely Siversk and Bakhmut, but would be unable to conquer the entirety of the Donbas region.
Russian assaults near Bakhmut, Soledar, and Siversk
DPR forces claimed to have taken control of Berestove on 20 July, suggesting that control over the village would be advantageous for future operations towards Soledar and Bakhmut. ISW assessed that Russian forces had prepared three directions of advance toward Bakhmut: southwest from Berestove and Soledar, west from Pokrovske, and north from Novoluhanske
Novoluhanske (; ) is an rural-type settlement in Bakhmut Raion (district) in Donetsk Oblast of eastern Ukraine, at 56.2 km NE from the centre of Donetsk city, on the bank of the Luhan River, opposite to Svitlodarsk.
Russo-Ukrainian War ...
and the Vuhlehirska power station
Vuhlehirska power station (also known as Vuhlehirska TES, ) is a fossil fueled thermal power station located in Svitlodarsk, Ukraine. It consists of 7 units with a total power output of 3,600 MW and was put in service between 1972 and ...
. Meanwhile, the group of Russian forces outside of Siversk was said to be downgraded by its earlier operations.[
On 21 July, the British defence ministry warned that the Russians were closing in on the Vuhlehirska power station, the second largest power plant in Ukraine, and were attempting to make a breakthrough there.
On 25 July, Russian forces gained control of Berestove. An LPR representative posted video footage of ]Wagner Group
The Wagner Group (), officially known as PMC Wagner (, ), is a Russian state-funded private military company (PMC) controlled 2023 Wagner Group plane crash, until 2023 by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former close ally of Russia's president Vladimir Pu ...
mercenaries in front of the entrance sign to Novoluhanske online, indicating that Russian troops had advanced into the town located roughly 25 km southeast of the Bakhmut outskirts. Several Russian sources also claimed that Russian forces had captured the Vuhlehirska power plant, located on the northern edge of Novoluhanske, and were actively clearing it, meanwhile the Ukrainian General Staff reported that the Russians only had "partial success" on that front. Pro-Russian sources said Wagner mercenary fighters took part in storming the power station and the fighting lasted several days before the plant was fully controlled by 26 July. The ISW suggested Ukrainian troops likely conducted a "controlled withdrawal" from the Vuhlehirska reservoir area north-west towards Semyhirya. A Ukrainian official confirmed the power plant's capture on 27 July.
On 26 July, the Ukrainian General Staff stated that Russian forces were fighting in the village of Semyhirya, west of the Vuhlehirska power plant. On 27 July, geolocated video footage posted online showed that Wagner mercenaries had reached Klynove, while pro-Russian Telegram channel Readovka claimed that Russian forces established control over Pokrovske.
On 28 July, the Ukrainian General Staff said the Russians made small gains near Soledar
Soledar (, ; , ; ) is a destroyed city in Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. Situated in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, the city was formerly highly important for its salt mining industry, from which its name Soledar is derived. The ...
and Vershyna. The Ukrainian military claimed to have neutralised 270 Russian and pro-Russian troops and destroyed seven tanks on 28 July, and that they successfully repelled all assaults on the Soledar-Vershyna front. On this date, ISW suggested that the Russian force grouping in Donetsk Oblast may have deprioritized attempts to take Siversk in order to capitalize on their recent gains near Bakhmut, noting that the Russians had made no confirmed advances towards Siversk since taking control of the Luhansk Oblast in early July.
On 1 August, the British defence ministry said Russia had made slow progress on the Bakhmut axis during daily assaults in the last four days.
On 2 August, Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu stated that Russian forces had captured six front line settlements in recent days: Berestove, Pokrovske, Novoluhanske, Semyhiria, Hryhorivka, and Stryapivka. The Ukrainian General Staff also stated that Russian forces had "partial success" along the Vidrodzhennia- Kodema line, about 20 km southeast of Bakhmut
Bakhmut is a city in eastern Ukraine. It is officially the administrative center of Bakhmut urban hromada and Bakhmut Raion in Donetsk Oblast. The city is located on the Bakhmutka River, about north of Donetsk, the administrative center ...
.
On 5 August, Russian sources claimed that Russian troops were actively fighting at the Knauf Gips Donbas gypsum factory on the southeastern outskirts of Soledar. Geolocated footage posted by DPR troops suggested Travneve
Travneve (; ) is a rural settlement in Bakhmut Raion (district) in Donetsk Oblast of eastern Ukraine, at about 50 km NNE from the centre of Donetsk city.
The settlement was taken under control of pro-Russian forces during the War in Donbass, ...
was likely captured by 5 August.[
Russian sources claimed the villages of ]Volodymyrivka Volodymyrivka () may refer to the following places in Ukraine:
Cherkasy Oblast
* Volodymyrivka, Cherkasy Oblast, rural settlement in Uman Raion
Chernihiv Oblast
* Volodymyrivka, Chernihiv Raion, Chernihiv Oblast, village in Chernihiv Raion
* Vo ...
and Stryapivka, located southeast of Soledar, were captured by 9 August. On 10 August, the DPR claimed to have captured Hladosove
Hladosove (; ) is a rural-type settlement in Svitlodarsk urban hromada, Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast of eastern Ukraine, at 61.1 km NNE from the centre of Donetsk city.
History
The settlement was taken under control by pro-Russian forces ...
, west of Travneve.
Russian and allied forces reportedly captured Kodema on 6 September.
Russian assaults near Avdiivka, Pisky, and Marinka
On 28 July, the Ukrainian General Staff said the Russians had resumed assaults on Avdiivka
Avdiivka (, ; , ) is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. The city is located in the centre of the oblast, just north of the regional centre, Donetsk. The large Avdiivka Coke Plant is located in Avdiivka. The city had a population of before th ...
and Pisky. The Ukrainians accused Russian troops of wearing Ukrainian uniforms during their ground assaults. The Ukrainian military claimed to have neutralised 270 Russian and pro-Russian troops and destroyed seven tanks on 28 July, and that they successfully repelled all assaults on the Avdiivka-Pisky front.
However, the separatists claimed Russian and DPR forces in the Avdiivka area had made significant advances north and east of the city.
On 2 August, Russian forces captured Ukrainian positions around the Butivka Coal mine, southwest of Avdiivka, dislodging Ukrainian positions that had been held there since 2015.
On 5 August, separatist authorities claimed that separate DPR brigades and Wagner Group forces had taken control of half of Marinka, but the Ukrainians reported the assaults on Marinka were unsuccessful. On 6 August, combat footage confirmed that Russian forces advanced into the eastern outskirts of Marinka. On 7 August, Russian forces pierced through the defenses of Pisky and reached the center of the settlement.
On 11 August, Russian and DPR sources claimed that roughly 90 percent of Pisky had been captured, and combat footage purportedly showed the Russians bombarding the village with TOS-1
TOS-1 Buratino (, Heavy Flamethrower System) is a Soviet 220 mm 30-barrel (original system, Object 634 or TOS-1M) or 24-barrel (Object 634B or TOS-1A Solntsepyok) multiple rocket launcher capable of using thermobaric warheads, mounted on a ...
A thermobaric artillery. The ISW assessed that Pisky had been captured by Russian forces by 24 August.
Russian assaults near Sloviansk, Ukrainian counteroffensive
Russian forces launched an unsuccessful attack on Bohorodychne, Krasnopillia, and the nearby village of Dolyna on 7 July. That same day, Russian forces also unsuccessfully tried to bypass Barvinkove
Barvinkove (, ) is a city in Izium Raion, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Barvinkove urban hromada, one of the communities of Ukraine. Population:
History
Barvinkove was first mentioned in 1653.
At the beginning of it ...
from the east with the intention of cutting the E40 Izium-Sloviansk highway, a key supply route for Ukrainian troops. A major offensive took place in Krasnopillia on 11 and 12 July, with fierce shelling taking place in Dibrivne, Mazanivka, Adamivka Adamivka () may refer to several places in Ukraine:
Places
;Cherkasy Oblast
*Adamivka, Cherkasy Oblast, rural settlement in Uman Raion
;Chernihiv Oblast
*Adamivka, Borzna urban hromada, Nizhyn Raion, Chernihiv Oblast, village in Borzna urban h ...
, and Kurulka, all villages near Bohorodychne and Krasnopillia. The following day, on 13 July, further Russian attacks were repelled from the northern part of Krasnopillia and Dolyna, reportedly in an attempt to further cut off the Izium-Sloviansk highway.
Russian offensives against Bohorodychne and Krasnopillia renewed unsuccessfully on 17 and 18 July, with heavy shelling taking place against the towns and nearby settlements. Shelling resumed again at Bohorodychne, Krasnopillia, and surrounding villages on 21 July. On 26 July, Russian forces began another offensive against Krasnopillia and Bohorodychne, although were again unsuccessful. Attacks restarted again on 31 July, when Russian forces began shelled Bohorodychne, Krasnopillia, and surrounding villages from the Russian-held village of Dmytrivka.
On 5 August, presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovych
Oleksii Mykolaiovych Arestovych (; born 3 August 1975) is a Ukrainian political adviser, former military officer, and columnist. He is also a theologian and the founder of the Apeiron School. Arestovych was a speaker for the Trilateral Contact G ...
announced that the Ukrainian army had started a new counteroffensive near Izium against Russian forces and that fighting had started again in Dovhenke.["Ми вже наступаємо", - Арестович прокоментував військову ситуацію у Харківській області](_blank)
/ref> The next day, there was heavy Russian bombardment in the area, including in Dovhenke; this continued on 7 August. On 8 August, Arestovych said that, according to some sources, Dovhenke had been recaptured by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and that Ukraine was successfully advancing towards Izium. On 9 August, Arestovych said that "Dovhenke is already behind us, according to some data. We have moved them." That day, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine () is the military staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is the central organ of the Armed Forces Administration and oversees operational management of the armed forces under the Ministry of De ...
reported that Dovhenke and several other villages were being attacked by Russian forces. On 9 August, Ukrainian forces recaptured Mazanivka.
Russian forces shelled Dovhenke and the villages around on 10 August. Fighting stagnated until 6 September, when a counteroffensive drove Russia from Dovhenke. It later pushed Russia from most of the Kharkiv oblast.
Russian ground offensives relaunched on 21 August south and southeast of Izium, aiming to recapture villages retaken by Ukraine in the previous weeks. Ukrainian sources reported on 22 August that Russian troops attempted to advance on Dmytrivka and Nova Dmytrivka, along with launching more attacks on Krasnopillia. Ukrainian forces also managed to capture the villages of Dibrivne and Dmytrivka in these counterattacks.[Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, 22 August](_blank)
/ref>
Aftermath
Some of the gains of the offensive were reversed in September 2022, after Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast, recapturing the cities of Lyman and Sviatohirsk
Sviatohirsk (, ; , ), formerly Slovianohirsk (), is a city in the northern part of Donetsk Region in Ukraine. It stands on the banks of the Siverskyi Donets River, from the city of Sloviansk. The population is The 16th-century Sviatohirsk L ...
in the Donetsk region, and Bilohorivka Bilohorivka () may refer to several settlements in Ukraine
* Bilohorivka, Donetsk Oblast, a village
* Bilohorivka, a former village in Donetsk Oblast that was disestablished in 2008
* Bilohorivka, Luhansk Oblast, an urban-type settlement
* , ...
, a village close to Lysychansk in the Luhansk Oblast.
Military analysts Rob Lee and Michael Kofman
Michael Kofman is an American military analyst known for his expertise on the Russian Armed Forces. He is the former director of the Russia Studies Program at CNA, a senior fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for I ...
wrote that "Ukraine's successes in Kherson
Kherson (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and , , ) is a port city in southern Ukraine that serves as the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast. Located by the Black Sea and on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, Kherson is the home to a major ship-bui ...
and Kharkiv were largely a result of the losses it inflicted on the Russian military in the Battle for the Donbas in the spring and early summer." Despite Russia's territorial gains, they nevertheless called the outcome of the Donbas offensive a "pyrrhic victory
A Pyrrhic victory ( ) is a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. Such a victory negates any true sense of achievement or damages long-term progress.
The phrase originates from a quote from ...
" for Russia, citing long-term negative impacts on Russia's ability to hold the territory it gained during the offensive and the war in general.[ Namely, Russia expended vast amounts of manpower and artillery ammunition to take territory in the Donbas. Lee and Kofman noted that Russia compensated for losses in manpower and artillery shells by introducing ]mobilization
Mobilization (alternatively spelled as mobilisation) is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the ...
, but interpreted Russia's restricted artillery shelling of Bakhmut in December 2022 as a result of resources being depleted during the Donbas offensive.[
Ukraine's counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast largely stalled as their ground forces approached the ]Svatove–Kreminna line
Since 19 September 2022, a military campaign has taken place along a frontline in western parts of Luhansk Oblast and far-eastern parts of Kharkiv Oblast amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The frontline has been referred to as the Svatove– ...
, returning to mostly positional warfare on this front by November–December 2022. In early November 2022, Russia launched a renewed offensive in northern and southern Donetsk Oblast, especially on the approach to Bakhmut
Bakhmut is a city in eastern Ukraine. It is officially the administrative center of Bakhmut urban hromada and Bakhmut Raion in Donetsk Oblast. The city is located on the Bakhmutka River, about north of Donetsk, the administrative center ...
.
Casualties
Military casualties
The Ukrainian government refrained from providing overall numbers of casualties to their own forces in the Donbas, although they did periodically offer various estimates of daily casualty counts. According to Ukraine, between 50 and 100 Ukrainian soldiers were being killed daily on the Donbas front as of late May 2022. By early June 2022, up to 200 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 800+ wounded daily in the Donbas. By mid-June, some Ukrainian officials estimated that Ukrainian forces were sustaining well over the previous mark of 1,000 casualties per day, including 200–500 killed.
With respect to Russian casualties, the Ukrainian Operational Command East
The Operational Command East ( OC East, ) is a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in eastern Ukraine. Its headquarters is currently located in Dnipro.
History
When Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, there were three ...
provided daily casualty claims of Russian troops until 2 July 2022.
During the fighting, an LPR battalion commander was killed when he and his fighters were surrounded by Ukrainian forces close to Kreminna and "fought to the last", according to the LPR. The clashes left an unknown number of killed and wounded.
On 18 July 2022, two Americans, a Canadian, and a Swedish national were killed during a Russian tank ambush during clashes near Hryhorivka, northeast of Siversk
Siversk (, ; ), formerly known as Yama () until 1973, is a city in Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. Its economy has traditionally been based around the mining and processing of dolomite. In January 2022, it had an estimated population o ...
. The foreign fighters were part of a special operations unit of Ukraine's Territorial Defence Forces.
Civilian casualties
During the battle, Russia intensified its attacks on civilian-populated areas. 60 civilians were believed to be killed and at least seven wounded due to a Russian airstrike on a school sheltering about 90 civilians in Luhansk Oblast, whereas the bodies of 44 civilians were recovered from rubble underneath an apartment building in Izium. During the battle of Kreminna
Kreminna (, ) is a city in Sievierodonetsk Raion, Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. Prior to 2020, it served as the administrative center of former Kreminna Raion. Its population was estimated at as of January 2022.
Following the Russian invasio ...
, near Rubizhne
Rubizhne (, ; , ) is a city in Luhansk Oblast, in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Situated on the left bank of the Donets River near the cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk. Prior to 2020, it was a city of oblast significance, befor ...
and Lysychansk
Lysychansk ( , ; , ; , ) is a city in Sievierodonetsk Raion, Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located on the high right bank of the Donets River, approximately from the administrative center of the oblast, Luhansk. It faces Sievierodonet ...
, Ukrainian forces lost control amid heavy fighting. More than 200 civilians were killed during the battle, with four additional civilians being killed and one more wounded as they attempted to escape the fighting. The Ukrainian government claimed that over 1,500 civilians were killed in Sievierodonetsk on 26 May. On 10 July, a Russian rocket attack in Chasiv Yar struck a multi-story residential building, killing at least 34 people.
As of 1 June, military activity related to the battle was confirmed to have killed at least 5,154 civilians and wounded over 5,605 more. As of 10 October, the United Nations counted 2,964 civilians killed in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions alone, in addition to 3,683 civilians wounded.
The true number of civilian deaths and injuries is guaranteed to be significantly higher. Civilian casualties are impossible to tabulate due to the fog of war
The fog of war is the uncertainty in situational awareness experienced by participants in military operations. The term seeks to capture the uncertainty regarding one's own capability, adversary capability, and adversary Intent (Military), inten ...
and lack of information flow due to the military occupation of segments of Ukrainian territory. For example, according to Ukrainian sources, "thousands" of civilians were killed in Lysychansk, although official data only accounted for 150 killed civilians.
See also
* Outline of the Russo-Ukrainian War
The following Outline (list), outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Russo-Ukrainian War:
Russo-Ukrainian War – ongoing international conflict between Russia, alongside Russian-backed separatists, and Ukraine, which ...
* War in Donbas
The war in Donbas, or the Donbas war, was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. The war Timeline of the war in Donbas (2014), began in April 2014, when Russian separatist forces in Ukraine, Russian para ...
(2014 to the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
)
*
* Timeline of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a military invasion of Ukraine in a steep escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War. The campaign had been preceded by a Russian military buildup since early 2021 and numerous Russian demands for security measu ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Donbas (2022-present)
Donbas
The Donbas (, ; ) or Donbass ( ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. The majority of the Donbas is occupied by Russia as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
The word ''Donbas'' is a portmanteau formed fr ...
April 2022 in Ukraine
May 2022 in Ukraine
June 2022 in Ukraine
July 2022 in Ukraine
August 2022 in Ukraine
September 2022 in Ukraine
Battles of the Eastern front of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Luhansk Oblast in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Donetsk Oblast in the Russian invasion of Ukraine