The southern front, which Putin had declared “unconquerable”, was shattered by a simultaneous wave of attacks. This shockwave, rising from the dark waters of the Mokri Yalı River, effectively trapped tens of thousands of invading soldiers in a death trap within the trenches they themselves had dug.
Strategic Stalemate: Komar’s Gates Are Being Shattered
The Ukrainian army wiped out the defensive infrastructure that Russia had been building millimeter by millimeter for months with a merciless counteroffensive storm launched on three different axes. Data from the field confirms that the nerve center of this operation is the town of Komar, a logistical lifeline in southern Donetsk. The Russian Ministry of Defense had declared that it had brought this region under complete control by 2025; however, open-source geographic data proves that the rosy picture painted by Moscow has already collapsed on the ground.
In particular, as the approaching fall rains turned the terrain into thick mud, the maneuverability of Russian artillery batteries was completely paralyzed. Taking advantage of this tactical blindness, Ukrainian forces recaptured the settlements of Myrne, Zirka, and Oleksandrohrad on the west bank of the Mokri Yalı River at lightning speed.
OSINT analyses at the end of September clearly mapped that Russian control near Fedorivka had shrunk to just 4.7 kilometers. Mistaking this deadly breach for a simple tactical diversion, the Russian command delayed deploying reserve units to the main lines and paid the price with the CHAOS created by Ukrainian forces entering the Komar settlement.
The Ruins of the 127th Division and the “Zugzwang” Dilemma
Just south of Komar, Ukrainian forces having recaptured most of Voskresenka took control of an area of approximately 10 square kilometers in Shevchenko, establishing massive firepower and reconnaissance pressure. This new corridor gives Ukrainian artillery an unobstructed line of sight to strike Russian supply depots along the Velyka Novosilka axis.
This logistical strangulation on the front lines is causing deep fractures within the Russian army’s internal structure. Internal communications leaked by Ukrainian ATESH partisans detailed in the 02:46 segment of the video document that the 127th Motorized Rifle Division in the Yuzhnodonetsk sector has suffered over 9,000 wounded and the loss of thousands of soldiers. Leaving the wounded to die in muddy trenches has triggered an explosion of desertions and suicides within the unit, shattering the psychological resilience of the Russian infantry.
At that very moment, a massive operation codenamed “Control” erupted on the central Pokrovsk front. Ukraine’s 40th Marine Infantry Brigade pinpointed Russian infiltration groups with thermal drones that bypassed electronic warfare systems. Snipers took out Russian commanding officers and radio operators within seconds, leaving the enemy unit leaderless. Clearing this critical area approximately 5 square kilometers destroyed the Russian Central Group’s armored springboard. The Russian army found itself trapped by the famous “Zugzwang” rule in chess; shifting troops south would lead to the fall of Pokrovsk, while concentrating forces in the center would expose all southern Donetsk logistics to Ukrainian fire.
Operation Vivaldi: Kamikaze Robots and the “Baba Yaga” Horror
Reports from the north indicate that the Kremlin’s “encirclement of Donetsk” plans have turned into a definitive strategic defeat. As part of Operation Vivaldi, Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps drove kamikaze ground robots into the heart of Russian fortifications, reducing enemy trenches to rubble. Advancing as far as 9 kilometers east of Lyman, Ukrainian forces split the Russian front in two.
Ukrainian assault groups crossed the Seversky Donets River by executing one of the riskiest maneuvers in military literature under fire and established a solid bridgehead at Kryva Luka. This bridgehead is a poisonous dagger driven into the Russian northern flank. Massive “Baba Yaga” thermal drones, penetrating 150 kilometers deep into the front lines, are mercilessly hunting down Russian logistics convoys and battalion commanders’ bunkers. Deprived of supplies and ammunition, Russian units in the Lyman sector have been condemned to starvation.
This multi-domain pressure doctrine has completely paralyzed the Soviet-style, cumbersome Russian military decision-making mechanism. By securing river lines and dominant hills before the harsh winter frosts set in, Ukraine is turning Russian armored vehicles into stationary targets for live-fire exercises in open terrain. The Kremlin’s end-of-2026 timeline has already died in the muddy streets of Komar and the trenches of Pokrovsk. The new mobilization plans whispered in Moscow’s corridors will serve no purpose other than to ignite the ticking time bomb within Russian society. Ukraine is no longer merely defending itself; it is dictating the pace, rules, and theater of the war.
