Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad are partially under Russian control according to an officer of the “Rubizh” Brigade
In the latest so-called meat-grinder assaults, the Russians lost over 6,000 troops in four days. As the weather conditions became favorable, Russian forces intensified their offensive in several directions at once. However, the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to thwart the invaders’ plans. Frontliner summarizes the results of combat operations for March.
In mid-March, a new phase of the Russian army’s offensive began. More than 4,000 combat engagements were recorded including assaults, small-arms firefights, and artillery duels. According to DeepState analysts, the Ukrainian territory under occupation expanded by 24 square kilometers during this period.
The enemy intensified its attacks across several sectors of the front between March 17 and 20, launching over 600 assaults. The Ukrainian Armed Forces were prepared for operations of this scale, which allowed them to effectively repel the attacks, according to the General Staff of the Armed forces of Ukraine. Over the course of these four days, enemy losses exceeded 6,000 personnel, including both killed and wounded. In total, Russian forces lost about 26,000 troops in March. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) analysts note that the successful and unexpected counterattacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the south at the end of January served as an additional factor that slowed the enemy’s advance.
Russia committed two armies to the Lyman front
Reaching Kramatorsk and Sloviansk remains one of the Russians’ key objectives. The recaptured town of Lyman (northern part of the Donetsk region) lies on the way to these cities. It is a strategic hub where fighting has raged since the start of the full-scale invasion.
As weather conditions improved, the adversary conducted a large-scale attempt to break through in this direction, employing the 1st Tank Army and the 20th Combined Arms Army. However, Ukrainian defenders once again thwarted Russia’s plans.
Russians tried to launch a frontal assault on our strongholds,
which proved fatal for them,
As Vasyl Denysiuk, press officer of the 66thMechanized Brigade, explained, preparations to repel the offensive had been underway for two months, during a period of relative standstill on the front. While this did not mean a complete absence of fighting, the intensity was lower in winter compared to 2025.
“We understood that the enemy was preparing a major operation. It was expected that the Russians would continue last year’s tactics, which was infiltrating the rear with small assault teams. Instead, they tried to launch a frontal assault on our strongholds, which proved fatal for them,” Denysiuk notes.
Some of the Russians made the only right decision:
to turn back and scatter into the woods.
On 19 March, the enemy launched an offensive in the Lyman sector. The Russians deployed armored vehicles, motorcycles, and quad bikes, as well as over 100 infantry personnel. According to a representative of the 66th Brigade, a significant portion of the equipment was destroyed even before reaching the front lines.
“As a result, some of the Russians made the only right decision: to turn back and scatter into the woods. But the majority still tried to continue the offensive. Working together with units of the Third Army Corps, we managed to eliminate all of the enemy’s offensive capabilities on this front within 24 hours,” Denysiuk adds.
Having suffered another failure, the enemy is accumulating forces once again. The 66th Mechanized Brigade anticipates that the invaders are preparing for a new portion of infantry assaults.
What about Pokrovsk?
The Pokrovsk sector continues to be the most intense in the Donetsk region. The situation around Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad is extremely tense.
“It would be fair to say that these cities are partially under Russian control, but their advance is primarily a propaganda move. In my opinion, the media objective is more important to them than the strategic one, because the number of personnel they have committed to the assault is enormous,” says an officer of the “Rubizh” Brigade with the call sign “Otche.”
The enemy is preparing its equipment:
adding extra armour,
Russian forces are attempting to advance deep into the Pokrovsk district, focusing their main efforts on occupying Hryshyne and Rodynske. Ukrainian defense forces repel daily assaults near these settlements, eliminating enemy infantry in their cover.
The “Rubizh” Brigade confirms that the enemy is accumulating forces in the Dobropillia sector as well.
“We are aware of the concentration of personnel, including mercenaries from other countries. The enemy is preparing its equipment: adding extra armour and even fitting electronic warfare systems even on the quad bikes,” adds “Otche.”
According to the officer, the Russians are using quite effective tactics. First, they launch FPV drone attacks, attempting to disrupt the work of Ukrainian drone operators and frontline infantry. Then they deploy quad bikes and motorcycles. However, a shortage of motorized vehicles is forcing the occupiers into risky moves: reconnaissance has recorded instances of four soldiers attempting to ride a single quad bike.
“Otche” suggests that the enemy will try to bypass Bilytske and Dobropillia, focusing on destroying logistics routes, since assaulting these hubs frontally is not beneficial for them. The invaders are using a large number of guided aerial bombs and thousands of loitering drones to pave the way for an assault.
The enemy’s deployment of drones is intensifying. In the “Rubizh” Brigade’s defense sector alone, over 4,000 enemy FPV drones were recorded in March. And these are only the drones that were successfully tracked, not including the newer fiber-optic drones.
What is happening in the Zaporizhzhia region?
Some of the most fierce battles are taking place in the Huliaipole sector. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that the Russians carry out about 20 combat attacks every day in an attempt to penetrate the defence. Huliaipole is occupied, however, Ukrainian troops are keeping the Russians from advancing beyond the borders of the city.
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War suggest that the Russians have redeployed elite units that had previously been fighting in the Donetsk region to the south. The Russians are actively preparing for assaults in the Huliaipole sector, notably redeploying the 40th Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet there in early March.
