On the move again Russian forces break through Ukrainian defenses in major Donbas offensive
Like our earlier reports on the combat situation in Ukraine, this article takes stock of the recent developments on the battlefield based on open-source information. Meduza has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from the very start, and our detailed military analyses are part of our commitment to objective reporting on a war we firmly oppose.
Our map is based exclusively on open-source photos and videos, most of them posted by eyewitnesses on social media. We collect available evidence and determine its geolocation markers, adding only the photos and videos that clear this process. Meduza doesn’t try to track the conflict in real time; the data reflected on the map are typically at least 48 hours old.
Key updates as of May 22, 2025
Russian forces have made their first significant gains in a summer offensive launched in Donbas several weeks ago. They broke through Ukrainian defenses near the Pokrovsk–Kostiantynivka highway and captured several villages north of the road. The objective of the offensive — and likely of Russia’s broader summer campaign — is the Kramatorsk–Sloviansk agglomeration.
While Ukrainian defenses in this sector are clearly under strain, Russia has yet to fully exploit the breakthrough, and its advance remains slow. Ukraine’s military command still has time to send reinforcements to the area — but the only available reserves are in the Sumy region, where Russian troops are also advancing.
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The Pokrovsk–Kostiantynivka sector
Russian forces reached the village of Vozdvyzhenka, south of the Pokrovsk–Kostiantynivka highway, a year ago. But instead of pushing north — to either encircle Pokrovsk to the west or advance on Kostiantynivka to the east — the main Russian grouping turned south. That shift led to the capture of Kurakhove, Vuhledar, Velyka Novosilka, and dozens of other settlements.
In 2025, Russian troops launched a new offensive from Vozdvyzhenka toward the highway. To support the advance, additional forces — including several brigades and a motorized rifle division — were redeployed from the Kurakhove area. The troops quickly reached the road, but the offensive soon stalled.
In April, the attacking forces received reinforcements: a brigade from the “Vostok” contingent was transferred from the Velyka Novosilka area. The assault then resumed, breaking through Ukrainian defenses along the highway. Russian forces pushed east toward Kostiantynivka through the breach, reaching the village of Novoolenivka. On the western flank, they took Malynivka and advanced toward Novoekonomichne, and they’re now threatening to cut off Pokrovsk from supply routes leading north to the main logistics hub in Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
Meanwhile, another Russian grouping is pushing north toward Druzhkivka and Kramatorsk, having captured the village of Nova Poltavka.
South of the highway, Russian forces are steadily pushing Ukrainian troops from the outer edges of Donetsk toward the Kleban-Bykske Reservoir. The advance threatens to encircle the Ukrainian grouping defending the western outskirts of Toretsk — forces that have been holding back Russian troops seeking to push toward Kostiantynivka from the south. The offensive also aims to unblock the road from Donetsk, which could be used to supply further operations toward Kramatorsk.
Russian drone operators are working to “isolate” the battlefield — that is, to cut Ukrainian troops off from their rear. Strikes are regularly carried out even on vehicles traveling along the Dobropillia–Kramatorsk road, some 30 kilometers (18.5 miles) from the front.
For now, Ukraine has little to counter Russia’s progress on multiple fronts. Near Pokrovsk, Ukrainian units that had been mounting counterattacks with varying degrees of success against Russian forces to the south and west of the city are now under attack themselves. Russian troops are trying to advance through the Solona River valley to the Dnipropetrovsk region border and further toward Novopavlivka — a key supply route for Ukrainian forces positioned west and northwest of Kurakhove. Those troops are also under pressure from the south, where they recently lost an important defensive position: the village of Bahatyr. Russian forces have continued their advance from the south, despite redeploying some units from this area to the Pokrovsk–Kostiantynivka highway.
At this point, Ukraine’s only sizable reserves capable of countering the Russian offensive appear to be in the Sumy region, where troops withdrawn from Russia’s Kursk region in March have been stationed. One brigade of Ukrainian marines, previously based west of Sudzha and later moved to Sumy, has already been redeployed to the Pokrovsk–Kostiantynivka highway — but that alone won’t be enough.
Sumy region
After withdrawing from Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk region — a retreat that came with heavy losses — Ukrainian forces attempted to break into Russian territory along neighboring sections of the border: near the junction of the Kursk and Belgorod regions in the east, and near the village of Tetkino in the west. However, the attacks were repelled. These localized operations likely serve not only political aims but also practical military goals — namely, tying down Russian forces in the Kursk region and preventing their redeployment to the front in Donbas.
At the same time, Ukrainian troops are themselves stuck near the border, where they are now fending off a Russian offensive toward the city of Sumy. Russian forces have already reached the outskirts of Yunakivka, a key logistical hub for Ukraine in the area.
It seems unlikely that Russia’s military command intends to capture Sumy, despite such ambitions voiced by Russian officials in the neighboring Kursk region. Russian forces lack the numbers for this, and the terrain is ill-suited to offensive operations — a large forested area separates Yunakivka from Sumy. Instead, the offensive appears aimed at a different goal: disrupting Ukraine’s ability to move reserves to Donbas.
The Lyman and Siversk sectors
Russian forces are also developing another offensive, with the long-term goal of reaching Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. From the north, troops are advancing toward the city of Lyman and the Siverskyi Donets River, aiming to push Ukrainian units that have been defending the Kreminna forests for the past two and a half years back toward the river.
Russian troops have taken control of most of the village of Torske, on the northwestern edge of the forest, and are likely to attempt a push south toward Yampil and the Siverskyi Donets. They’ve also reached the outskirts of the village of Ridkodub, north of Lyman. The objective there is a breakthrough to the Oskil River, which would complicate supply routes to Lyman. If Lyman falls, Russian forces would reach the Siverskyi Donets directly opposite Sloviansk.
Across the river, Russian troops are once again trying to break through to the city of Siversk — through which there’s a direct route to Sloviansk. They have captured the village of Verkhniokamianske on the outskirts of Siversk. But this has happened before: over the past three years, Russian forces have entered the village several times, but have never managed to hold it.
For now, the fighting along the Siverskyi Donets and Oskil rivers remains localized — unlike the more dangerous breakthrough between Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka. Still, this front could be reinforced in the coming months, allowing Russian troops to approach the Kramatorsk–Sloviansk agglomeration from multiple directions later this year.
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