Ukrainian forces have made measured gains in the ongoing conflict in the eastern Donbas region, challenging Russian efforts to fully seize control of the area. Despite Russian President Vladimir V. Putin’s assertions that the Donbas will fall swiftly under Moscow’s control, recent developments suggest otherwise as Kyiv’s counteroffensive has slowed and in some areas reversed Russian advances.

Since mid-2026, Ukraine has launched a counteroffensive known as Operation Vivaldi, focused primarily on the northern Donbas. This campaign has successfully stalled Russian attempts to encircle key Ukrainian-held cities such as Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, and Kostiantynivka. Western analysts estimate that Ukraine has reclaimed dozens of square miles of territory—a modest but symbolically significant reversal of Russia’s previous gains. Russian forces, meanwhile, have continued intense assaults in the southern Donbas near Pokrovsk and Dobropillia, but Ukrainian troops have reorganized their defenses and have so far prevented a full Russian breakthrough.

Overall, Russian territorial gains in Ukraine have slowed markedly in 2026 compared with the previous year. The pace of Russia’s progress has been described as glacial, with some research groups identifying September as the worst month for Russian net gains since mid-2023. While the Russian Ministry of Defense claims to have seized more than 2,000 square miles this year, independent analysts and even some Russian military commentators have expressed skepticism about those figures, suggesting that Moscow’s campaign to envelop the so-called "fortress cities" in the Donbas is faltering.

Ukraine’s counteroffensive was preceded by months of preparation aimed at stabilizing defensive lines and undermining Russian supply routes and command structures. Ukrainian forces targeted Russian logistics infrastructure including roads, railways, and fuel supplies, and carried out precision strikes on elite Russian drone operators. Advanced robotic mine clearance and the deployment of drone-laid mines helped Ukraine create safer corridors for its troops. On the front, ground-based drones equipped with explosives and machine guns were used to disrupt Russian rear positions, while armored vehicles with enhanced reactive armor provided support to infantry clearing Russian bunkers.

Military officials report that Russian forces were frequently caught off guard by Ukrainian advances and often sent reinforcements into areas already under Ukrainian control, leading to ambushes. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, over 5,000 Russian troops have been killed and approximately 250 captured in the operation, though these numbers have not been independently verified. Ukraine has not disclosed its casualty figures.

In southern Donbas, Russia achieved a significant advance in 2025, capturing Pokrovsk and pushing westward, threatening to cut Ukraine’s access to critical highways and encircle fortified Ukrainian positions. Ukrainian forces responded by deploying elite brigades and stabilizing the front line, denying Moscow its strategic aims despite continued daily Russian assaults. Ukrainian commanders credit the integration of digital battlefield management systems, such as the software platform Delta, and improved coordination aided by mass drone production and robotic vehicles with enhancing their defensive capabilities.

Fighting in the Donbas remains highly contested and dynamic. Russian tactics rely heavily on small-unit infiltration across heavily monitored zones saturated with drones, leading to ambiguous frontline control where both sides contest individual trees, buildings, roads, and supply routes. Ukrainian officers emphasize that the front cannot be neatly divided by geographic lines, reflecting the complex and fragmented nature of the conflict.

Meanwhile, Moscow has intensified air and missile strikes against Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, using its advantages in drones and long-range systems. Ukrainian officials describe these attacks as a campaign of terrorism aimed at eroding civilian morale as the ground war continues with no clear resolution in sight. The conflict in the Donbas remains a central and unresolved front in the broader war between Ukraine and Russia.