ISW: Russia is preparing a large-scale mechanized offensive in Donetsk Oblast

Russian troops are increasingly conducting mechanized attacks on the front line, possibly as part of intensified preparations for the 2026 spring-summer offensive. This is stated in the material of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), reports UNN.

Details

It is noted that there is currently an increase in the number of Russian mechanized attacks in various sectors of the front. Some of them were probably Russian reconnaissance missions aimed at exploring, detecting, or verifying Ukrainian positions before future ground attacks in the spring-summer campaign.

Russia may launch a spring-summer offensive on the "fortress belt" in Donetsk Oblast, and mechanized assaults and strikes in the Lyman, Kostiantynivka, and Pokrovsk directions may be part of efforts to prepare for attacks on the "fortress belt" in the future

In their opinion, these preparations indicate that the ground phase of the spring-summer offensive campaign "is approaching, if it has not already begun."

"The expected 2026 spring-summer offensive is unlikely to involve a significant amount of armored vehicles as a result of several simultaneous mechanized attacks on Ukrainian positions, however, given the dense front line with the use of drones and the shortage of Russian armored vehicles," ISW summarizes.

Recall

The enemy increased pressure on several sections of the front at once. At the same time, enemy losses also significantly increased: only from Tuesday to Thursday, about 4,840 occupiers were eliminated, killed and wounded, said the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi.

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