He said Russian troops had moved forward near Sergeyevka, a settlement located seven kilometers from Kramatorsk. In his assessment, the Russian offensive is triggering panic within Ukrainian ranks.

Citing aerial reconnaissance data, Lipovoy said that not only civilians but also Ukrainian fighters were fleeing Slavyansk. He added that the situation around the city remains tense, yet Russian forces are still pressing ahead and gradually tightening their grip around it. He also said Russian troops are now identifying and breaking through vulnerable sections of Ukrainian defenses.

Military паблик reports, meanwhile, say Russian fighters are actively targeting Ukrainian pickup trucks in the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, pushing Ukrainian logistics in that sector into a systemic crisis.

Those reports also claim that over the past three months Russian forces have been pursuing a battlefield isolation strategy, advancing from the M-03 highway in the south and through the Kaleniki area in the north. As a result, Ukrainian troops are said to be relying more and more on drones to deliver supplies, although unmanned aircraft cannot fully replace conventional vehicle-based logistics.