Ukrainian defenders have successfully repelled a major Russian armoured assault near the village of Novooleksandrivka, close to the administrative border between Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions. The attempted breakthrough, which involved tanks, armoured vehicles, and even motorcycles, was stopped in its tracks by Ukrainian artillery, drone strikes, and coordinated defensive tactics.
Lieutenant General Serhii Naiev, commander of the Vuhledar tactical group, revealed that Russian forces launched their operation in the Novopavlivka direction using five tanks, twelve armoured vehicles, and twenty five motorcycles. These convoys advanced from three separate directions and were detected by Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance between five and ten kilometres before reaching their target.
In a swift and lethal counteraction, Ukrainian forces destroyed over seventy Russian invaders, two tanks, six armoured vehicles, two cars, and fourteen motorcycles. Some Russian vehicles were neutralised directly on the outskirts of Novooleksandrivka, which lies just 4.37 kilometres from the Dnipropetrovsk region border.
General Naiev also reported a dramatic increase in Russian combat activity over the past month. Ukraine recorded 1,916 enemy attacks, over 8,200 explosive devices dropped from drones, and nearly 10,000 artillery strikes. Russian forces deployed more than 16,000 first person view drones and conducted daily air attacks. Despite this intense pressure, Ukrainian forces have managed to hold their lines and reduce their own losses by fifteen percent.
The general praised the skill and resilience of the Ukrainian brigades, highlighting that nearly 9,641 Russian personnel had been neutralised in a single month. Additionally, Ukrainian defenders destroyed 75 Russian artillery systems, 19 tanks, 37 armoured vehicles, 729 transport units including buggies, all terrain vehicles, motorcycles, and 16 ammunition depots.
One unusual recent tactic saw fourteen Russian motorcyclists attempting to breach Ukrainian lines in the Pokrovske direction. This followed a failed armoured assault on the same road. Motorcycles are being used by Russian forces to navigate difficult frontline terrain and reduce the chances of being targeted by focused fire.
