Russian forces enter Dobropolye: military analysts report fighting inside the city

Russian forces have made significant advances in the Dobropolye area of Donetsk region over the past month and, according to a number of Ukrainian military analysts, are already fighting directly inside the city.

The picture of what is happening varies considerably depending on the source.

The dynamics of the military situation according to the Ukrainian military Telegram channel DeepState for the period from September 25 to October 25 show that the Russian zone of control has expanded noticeably to the north of Rodynske, in the areas of Bilytske, Matiasheve, and Novy Donbas. The gray zone (the combat zone) now reaches right up to the eastern, western, and southern outskirts of Dobropolye. Russian advances have also been recorded to the west of the city — in the area of the village of Dobropolye itself. As a result, the threat to the city now comes not only from the south and east, but also from the western flank. The combat zone has effectively formed an arc of semi-encirclement, bypassing the city simultaneously from the west and the east. At the same time, the DeepState map still shows no gray zone within Dobropolye itself.

Many Ukrainian military analysts describe a far grimmer picture for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They state outright that Russian forces have entered Dobropolye itself and are fighting inside the city. A Ukrainian serviceman with the call sign Muchny reported that Russian units had been repeatedly spotted in the area of the Dobropolska mine, which the enemy is using as a stronghold for further advances. Russian forces are also attempting to advance through the Novy Donbas area and to bypass Dobropolye from the west in the direction of Svyatohorivka.

“The threat lies not only in direct pressure on the urban built-up area, but also in the enemy’s attempts to gradually envelop the city from different directions,” — writes Muchny.

He warns that the expansion of Russian presence on the flanks could significantly complicate the defense of Dobropolye.

Ukrainian military analyst Kostiantyn Mashovets described the Russian incursions in even greater detail. According to his information, Russian forces have already reached the immediate approaches to Dobropolye from the east, southeast, and south, and individual assault groups have penetrated directly into the city. Mashovets reported the presence of Russian infantry in the southern part of Dobropolye — in the area of the Perspektyva vegetable depot, the Ivushka store, and Bohdan Khmelnytsky Street. According to his information, individual groups have even reached the areas of the central library and a hospital north of the railway line. On the eastern flank, Russian units have penetrated into the areas of Annivka, Step, Vilne, and Novy Donbas; to the south they have taken Matiasheve and were advancing toward several settlements on the approaches to the city.

Mashovets noted, however, that this involved the infiltration of small assault groups rather than full control over territory: the main Russian forces continued to fight on the approaches to Dobropolye, and large units had not yet entered the city. According to the analyst’s assessment, over two months of fighting Russian forces have advanced an average of 11–12 kilometers in this direction.

As for the official Russian position, on October 16 Russia officially announced the capture of Dobropolye. At the same time, many Russian military Telegram channels do not confirm full control over the city, but claim that the Russian army has long been fighting in Dobropolye and controls a significant part of it.