In towns like Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine, the reality on the ground has evolved so quickly, with Russian drones ruling the skies and Ukrainian troops more and more isolated and under-resourced.
Near Pokrovsk, medics like Dmytro are waiting in small field hospitals for wounded soldiers whose injuries prevent them from being evacuated safely — the movement of any sort of vehicle is detectable from above by Russian drones, making an armored extraction impossible.
The town's frontline, for much too long under pressure, is now facing the threat of encirclement. Russian forces are chipping away, using minor gains to mount a synchronized push while the Ukrainians are otherwise occupied.
Amid all of this, President Trump has suddenly slashed his peace deadline toward Russian President Vladimir Putin from 50 days to just 12 — or maybe less. Trump said he was dissappointed with Putin and warned the Kremlin to take into account the West's demands for a ceasefire.
Kyiv welcomed the urgency, but the move seems unlikely to alter Moscow's course, given its much larger number of troops than Ukraine, its high tolerance for casualties and the fact that it has a growing domestic weapons industry.
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Ukrainian forces are increasingly under siege in various towns across Donetsk region. Russian troops are on the outskirts of Pokrovsk and have advanced on the nearby Rodynske, putting hom now also in danger in Biletske.
Ukrainian officers warn this menaces critical supply lines and paves the way for a siege like those that we have seen in Avdiivka and Vuhledar last year.
Officials in the area speak of continuous pressure on the entire eastern front, with Russian soldiers attacking on foot and quickly replacing those killed.
Ukrainian soldiers find it hard to maintain a position, and in towns like Kostiantynivka, Russian drones have made street movement too treacherous. Civilian evacuations are taking place, and drone attacks have been hitting homes and slaying residents.
The three towns of Pokrovsk, Kostiantynivka and Kupiansk have turned into flashpoints. Their collapse would deliver a heavy, perhaps deadly, blow to Kyiv. They are currently bastions defending the last parts of Donetsk under Ukrainian control.
Russia would have a more open road to Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, and could force Ukraine's troops to defend more lightly armored agricultural land that lies on the key line of communication leading straight down to Dnipro should they be lost."
In Kupiansk, Russian forces pushed in from the north, taking the village of Radkivka and threatening supply lines. The situation is fluid, and with Moscow's momentum accelerating, the dynamics are evolving quickly, observers say.
Manpower Shortages and Morale Struggles
Ukrainian units have experienced their resources stretched as never before. Vasyl, a commander in Ukraine's 93rd Mechanized Brigade, said his unit has not been resupplied in eight months. Instead, he is now resupplying two-man positions using drones to drop off food, water and ammunition.
He admitted that his men were exhausted and said that the situation on the front line is being under-reported to leadership in Ukraine.
Low morale and poor communication between officers and civilian authorities have made Ukraine's task more difficult. And civilian life is being disrupted more and more, too. In Dobropilia, public transportation has stopped and evacuations are taking place, with officials evacuating children and residents from drone strikes.
The stepped-up Russian drone campaign is now drilling deeper into territory that was once secure, striking terror in the civilian population and constraining Ukraine's ability to maneuver. EVEN A tiny Russian territorial gain is increasingly now strategically useful, observers point out.
Mounting Challenges as Conflict Evolves
The Ukrainian army is at war against not just beleaguered ranks but also uncertain promises of military aid from the West and bolder Russian advances that have reordered the war in just a few days.
Trump's change in diplomatic language, against the backdrop of Ukraine's thinly stretched forces on the frontlines, indicates increasing urgency for Western action.
But at the moment, the Kremlin's summer offensives appear undimmed as it advances, with an eye toward a prized set of territorial goals.
