Battle For Last Donbass Stronghold Of Slavyansk Begins

On August 11, the Russian military declared new victory. The village of Fyodorovka located on the northern flank of Pokrovsk came under its full control. The liberation of this settlement by Russian forces is a tactical gain but it marks another critical step in Moscow’s campaign to isolate and dismantle the entire Ukrainian defenses in Donbas. This victory on the northern flank of Pokrovsk is not an isolated breakthrough but part of a broader strategy to encircle two major Ukrainian groupings—one in the Pokrovsk agglomeration to the south and another around Slavyansk to the north.

The surprise heavy Russian push north of Pokrovsk has already penetrated 13 kilometers deep into Ukrainian-held territory. While some observers dismissed this as a diversion, the operation follows a deliberate pattern. Pushing the enemy into cauldrons in Pokrovsk and Konstantinovka, the Russian military is exploiting weaknesses in Ukrainian defense to cut off the entire Ukrainian grouping in the Donbass. This is also clear amid Russian advance in the Liman direction north of Slavyansk.

Russian planners prioritize terrain advantages, enemy supply shortages, and gaps in electronic warfare coverage over simple geographic objectives. The ultimate goal is clear—cutting off Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, effectively beginning their siege before the first shot is fired in their streets.

Meanwhile, preliminary field reports claimed battles in the city of Konstantinovka. Russian forces have secured Predtechino on its northern outskirts, launching an assault on the streets of this key Ukrainian stronghold. Advancing along the T0504 highway, Russian troops have breached the city’s defenses, with fighting now reported on Sobornosti Street.

Ukrainian forces, though in entrenched, elevated positions, face a dire logistical crisis. The highway from Druzhkovka remains their only supply route into Konstantinovka, but it is under relentless drone and artillery strikes. At the same time, the cauldron near the Kleban-Byk reservoir is closing, eliminating remaining Ukrainian resistance south of the city.

The battles for Pokrovsk and Konstantinovka are not isolated fights but interconnected phases of a larger Russian strategy aimed at liberating the entire Donbass. By methodically severing supply lines and forcing Ukrainian troops into indefensible pockets, Moscow aims to replicate its successes gained in other fortresses. The use of small assault teams, drone swarms, and precision strikes has allowed Russian forces to advance while minimizing losses—a stark contrast to the meat-grinder tactics of 2022.

With Ukrainian forces crumbling under relentless pressure, the battle for the last Ukrainian fortress of Slavyansk has de-facto begun. Each captured village, each severed road, brings Moscow closer to its goal: the complete military collapse of Ukraine’s Donbass front. As Western aid stutters and Kyiv scrambles to stabilize its lines, the initiative remains firmly in Russian hands, and time is running out.