Russian army occupied 5 villages in 3 days, Ukraine ran out of reserve troops

Russia seizes 5 villages in 3 days ahead of US-Russia summit; Ukraine's reserves are depleted, a huge gap in the defense line has been exposed.

Starting from the early morning of August 10, the battlefield situation in western Donetsk suddenly changed, when the Russian Armed Forces (RFAF) launched a lightning attack, successfully capturing five villages in just three days, achieving the most important victory since the beginning of 2025.

The rapid pace of the offensive and the remarkable results of this attack not only broke the deadlock that had lasted for several months but also signaled a new and important turning point in the Russia-Ukraine conflict; especially ahead of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Putin in Alaska.

According to information from Financial Times (UK) and RT (Russia), RFAF launched multi-pronged attacks on areas such as Roginsik and Bilichiko, north of Pokrovsk, effectively breaking through the AFU's second line of defense at the Pokrovsk front.

Unlike previous attrition campaigns, the RFAF wisely chose to advance north along the local ridge line. This tactic not only minimized the risk of flank attacks, but also allowed them to quickly penetrate deep into the AFU's rear, and attack key points.

After achieving this breakthrough, the RFAF quickly expanded its advantage, intending to divide Ukraine's defense system into three parts, thus strategically isolating the three key cities of Pokrovsk, Kostiantynivka and Kramatorsk, putting Kiev in a completely passive position.

Tactically, the RFAF's "night infiltration combined with artillery fire" strategy was a masterstroke. The "Ghost Squads", equipped with specialized thermal cloaks, were divided into groups of 5-15 men, taking advantage of the darkness to infiltrate weak areas in the Ukrainian defense system, targeting gaps in the trenches where Ukrainian forces were weak.

Once successful, heavy artillery from behind would immediately encircle, giving the attacking teams an opportunity to expand their advantage. At the same time, Russian UAVs would closely monitor the movements of the Ukrainian troops. If the Ukrainian reserve forces made any moves, artillery shells would target their assembly areas, leaving the Ukrainian troops defenseless.

Thus, within just 48 hours, Russian troops penetrated 15 to 20 kilometers deep into the Ukrainian defense zone, occupied an area of 156 square kilometers, and continued to advance. Although the AFU managed to stop the attack in some areas with its remaining firepower, the overall defense system was clearly collapsing.

A Ukrainian frontline officer lamented on social media: "Some companies could not even receive orders from their superiors and had to choose the direction of retreat themselves," indicating chaos in communication and coordination between the basic units of the Ukrainian army, which seriously damaged fighting morale.

One of the fundamental reasons for the weakness of the Ukrainian army is the depletion of reserves. For a long time, the front line has been suffering heavy losses, while the rear has not been able to mobilize enough troops. Many defense areas are forced to rely on existing forces to hold out, and their numbers are stretched to the limit.

If the RFAF breaks through the line, the Ukrainians will not be able to mount an effective counterattack or blockade in the short term. The line is full of holes and will eventually collapse. Similar difficulties are occurring not only west of Donetsk but also south of Luhansk and parts of Zaporizhia. The shortage of troops is hanging over the Kyiv Post like a sword of Damocles.

As the RFAF continued its advance, panic spread among the Ukrainian military, forcing senior generals to urgently discuss countermeasures. However, in the face of the Russian onslaught, the AFU's reserves were depleted, and a withdrawal from other lines of defense could create new openings, posing a dilemma.

Meanwhile, the Russian army, in high spirits, was consolidating its occupied areas and planning a larger-scale offensive, attempting to further expand its advantage and fundamentally change the battlefield situation.

Overall, military analysts believe that Russia's decision to launch such a powerful attack on the eve of the Putin-Trump meeting was not only driven by military-strategic considerations, but could also be aimed at gaining an advantage on the battlefield and gaining significant influence in future diplomatic negotiations.

Over the past year or so, Russia has repeatedly increased military pressure ahead of major international conferences and diplomatic events to achieve its strategic goal of “putting pressure on the battlefield to gain diplomatic benefits.” This move could be a continuation of this strategy.

Kiev is currently trying to mobilize its remaining reserves to plug the gap, but neither the speed nor the numbers are enough to reverse the disadvantageous situation in the short term. Some military experts believe that the AFU should adopt a flexible defense strategy, using mobile forces to harass Russian logistics lines and slow their advance.

However, this strategy requires the Ukrainian military to be equipped and trained at an extremely high level, making its deployment extremely difficult in the current context. (photo source Military Review, Kyiv Post, Rvvoenkory, TASS).

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