Ukrainian forces reclaim territory as Russian advances stall and humanitarian concerns intensify
KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday hailed a significant breakthrough in the eastern front, reporting that Ukrainian forces had reclaimed 160 sq km of land near the coalmining town of Dobropillia and cleared an additional 170 sq km of Russian-held territory. The announcement marks what Zelenskyy called an “important success” in a counteroffensive aimed at reversing Russian gains made over the summer.
Speaking from the Donetsk region, Zelenskyy said the operation demonstrates Ukraine’s ability to push back Russian advances despite months of battlefield setbacks. Reports from the online tracker DeepState indicate that some Russian gains near Dobropillia have indeed been lost, though independent verification remains limited. Ukrainian officials claimed thousands of Russian casualties in the counteroffensive.
Meanwhile, the war’s human toll continues. A Russian airstrike on Kostiantynivka, just 8 km from the front line, killed five people on Thursday. Kyiv has responded with long-range strikes targeting Russia’s oil infrastructure, including a fire at a refinery in Bashkortostan, approximately 1,400 km from the frontline. Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly has over 700,000 troops deployed in Ukraine.
Internationally, tensions over Russia’s treatment of Ukrainian civilians remain high. A Yale School of Public Health investigation alleges that over 210 sites in Russia and occupied Ukraine are being used for the forced re-education of deported Ukrainian children. The report claims children are subjected to military training, drone manufacturing, and other programs in violation of the Geneva Conventions. Russian officials have dismissed the findings as fabricated. Ukraine says more than 19,500 children have been forcibly displaced to Russia and Belarus.
In a separate development, Ukraine received the remains of 1,000 soldiers in its latest exchange with Russia, underscoring the ongoing human cost of the conflict.
On the diplomatic front, former US President Donald Trump criticized Vladimir Putin during a press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, claiming that the Russian president had obstructed potential peace efforts, a statement likely to resonate with Western officials.
The Ukraine war continues to evolve on multiple fronts—military, humanitarian, and diplomatic—highlighting the prolonged and multifaceted nature of the conflict.