Ukraine reports gains as fighting intensifies on the Pokrovsk axis near Dobropillya
Ukraine’s General Staff reports gains on the front’s hottest sector near Pokrovsk and Dobropillya
The Pokrovsk sector, including Dobropillya in Donetsk region, is currently the hottest along the entire front line.
According to Ukraine’s general Staff,
- Ukrainian forces repelled a Russian assault near Dobropillya on the Pokrovsk axis.
- Near Dobropillya, Ukrainian troops cleared several settlements of Russian forces.
- Russian forces are attempting to infiltrate Ukrainian positions in small infantry groups.
In the past 24 hours, August 18, 2025, 186 combat engagements with Russian forces were recorded, 67 of them on the Pokrovsk axis, Ukraine’s General Staff said on Facebook.
According to the General Staff, Ukrainian troops on the Pokrovsk axis repelled all enemy attacks. Fighting took place near the settlements of Dorozhne, Fedorivka, Nikanorivka, Mayak, Rodinske, Novoeconomichne, Krasny Lyman, Novoukrainka, Volodymirivka and others.
The Pokrovsk sector remains the hottest on the front, with no sign of fighting abating. In fact, intensity is rising by the day: there were 58 combat engagements there on August 17, compared with 67 on August 18.
In early August, on the Pokrovsk axis near Dobropillya (a small city north of Pokrovsk), Russian forces breached sections of the front by 10–18 kilometers. They used a new tactic, infiltrating Ukrainian positions with small infantry groups.
Ukraine’s command was forced to redeploy major reserves to the Pokrovsk axis, including the 1st “Azov” National Guard Corps. The Russian breach was eliminated.
From August 4 to 17, fighters from Azov and other Ukrainian Defense Forces units cleared six settlements, including Zolotyi Kolodyaz.