President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on X (formerly Twitter) on 18/9, "Donetsk. I met with soldiers participating in the counteroffensive in Dobropillia, spoke with them, thanked them for their achievements, and presented them with state awards."

Zelensky confirmed that the counteroffensive is taking place not only in the Dobropillia area but also in the nearby stronghold of Pokrovsk. "The fighting is fierce, but we have inflicted heavy losses on the Russian side. Ukrainian forces have prevented the enemy from launching a full-scale offensive in this direction, something they had planned for a long time and were very much looking forward to," he said.

President Zelensky stated that Ukraine has retaken 160 sq km of territory and 7 settlements since the start of the counteroffensive. He added that they have also "dislodged the enemy" from 9 other settlements, equivalent to 170 sq km of territory. He reported nearly 100 Russian soldiers captured and enemy losses of up to 2,500, including approximately 1,300 fatalities. The Ukrainian president did not disclose when the counteroffensive began.

Analysis from the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), published the same day, indicates that Ukrainian troops appear to have partially pushed back a Russian salient created after they broke through the northern Pokrovsk line in August. However, they haven't yet managed to bisect and encircle the area as previously claimed.

"Russian forces continue to advance in Pokrovsk. Geolocated footage from 17/9 shows they have taken the settlement of Troyanda and are holding positions at the southern edge of the city," the ISW assessed.

The military situation around Pokrovsk and Dobropillia as of 17/9. Graphic: *ISW*

The Russian Ministry of Defense has not commented on the information.

On 17/9, Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov claimed Russian forces are making progress and maintaining their advance in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk. He stated the most intense fighting is occurring near Pokrovsk, where Ukrainian forces "are trying everything to stop the Russian advance and regain the initiative, but without success."

According to General Gerasimov, the Ukrainian army has redeployed its most elite units from other fronts to reinforce the defense lines in Pokrovsk. This has allowed Russian troops to advance in locations abandoned by the enemy.

Pokrovsk is a crucial logistics hub and one of Ukraine's main strongholds in the eastern Donetsk region. If Russia captures Pokrovsk, it would weaken Ukraine's defensive lines and supply capabilities in Donetsk, bringing them closer to their goal of controlling the entire region.

Analysts at the end of August noted that Kyiv had only regained a few small areas despite deploying additional counteroffensive forces, while rapid Russian raids were depleting Ukrainian defensive resources in the region.

Pham Giang (According to *Reuters, Ukrainska Pravda*)