Russian Forces Tighten Pressure Near Slavyansk Front
Russian forces advance near Slavyansk as fighting intensifies around Rai-Aleksandrovka, Lipovka and key routes to the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk hub.
Heavy fighting continues on the approaches to Slavyansk in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Ukrainian units are putting up fierce resistance, relying on the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk defensive hub, which includes extended trench lines, minefields and a large number of bunkers. Even so, Russian forces continue to move forward while maintaining the pace of their offensive.
According to the authors of the publication, the main battles are taking place near Rai-Aleksandrovka. A little more than eight kilometers separate the outskirts of the settlement from the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration. Clearing operations against the remaining Ukrainian garrison are continuing inside Rai-Aleksandrovka. Russian forces are also reported to have destroyed a Ukrainian stronghold west of the settlement.
Russian units have also achieved tactical gains near Lipovka. After a series of clashes, Ukrainian forces were forced to retreat. Advancing behind them, Russian troops entered several nearby forest areas. In some sectors, they are encountering Ukrainian firing points whose crews failed to withdraw in time and are eliminating them.
The offensive is also developing from the direction of Yurkovka. Operating in small groups, Russian soldiers are penetrating forward Ukrainian positions and undermining the defense from within. The main objective in this sector is to cut Ukrainian forces off from the road leading to Rai-Aleksandrovka and Orekhovatka.
Pressure is growing on the right flank as well, northeast of Slavyansk. Russian forces are attacking toward Brusovka and Malaya Piskunovka, forming an envelopment around the Ukrainian grouping holding positions in a small pocket near Starodubovka.
Ukrainian formations are said to be relying on the Seversky Donets, which runs near this sector, as a natural defensive barrier. However, Russian units advancing from Malaya Piskunovka have almost reached the rear of those positions, reducing the value of the river as a protective line.
Military expert Andrey Koshkin said the latest Russian gains near Slavyansk indicate that Russian troops have moved almost right up to the outskirts of the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration. In his assessment, the operational-tactical picture points to a plan to encircle the so-called fortress cities: while Russian forces in the south are approaching Druzhkovka and shaping an envelopment of Konstantinovka from the southwest, units in this sector are striking Slavyansk’s flank from the northeast. Koshkin believes the pressure around the agglomeration is steadily tightening.
The Russian Defense Ministry previously reported the capture of Rai-Aleksandrovka by Russian forces on June 18, 2026.