Dense urban development and industrial facilities make Dobropolye a significant defensive hub that could affect the pace of further fighting, according to military correspondent Fedor Gromov.

The Russian Defense Ministry earlier said units of the Center group of forces had completed the encirclement of a major Ukrainian defensive hub in Dobropolye and were continuing their advance toward Alexandrovka.

Gromov said Dobropolye’s high-rise buildings and industrial sites could be used to accommodate personnel and store weapons and ammunition. In his assessment, control of the town would provide a substantial advantage.

He suggested that the current situation most likely amounted to an operational encirclement rather than a completely sealed ring. According to Gromov, achieving full physical encirclement has become considerably more difficult under modern battlefield conditions.

He attributed this partly to the reduced density of infantry along the front. While roughly a company of about 100 troops could hold one kilometer of the line in 2022–2023, he said some sectors are now occupied by only two to six soldiers. Gromov linked the change to the sharp increase in drone activity on both sides.

The further course of the operation around Dobropolye will depend heavily on Ukrainian actions, he said. Counterattacks and attempts to relieve units inside the town could significantly slow the Russian advance.

At the same time, Gromov pointed to the current pace of Russian movement in the area and suggested the objective could be completed within a period ranging from one week to one month. That timeframe remains his assessment rather than a confirmed operational schedule.

He added that after Dobropolye, Russian forces would still have to take Belozerskoye. Like Dobropolye, the settlement has dense permanent construction and industrial facilities that could complicate combat operations.

Gromov also highlighted the advance toward Alexandrovka. In his assessment, taking control of the settlement would cut one of the supply routes used by the Ukrainian Slavyansk-Kramatorsk grouping and allow Russian forces to continue a deeper envelopment of the agglomeration.

Alexandrovka is also located near the junction of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Kharkov region and Dnepropetrovsk region. Gromov argued that its location could provide additional room for maneuver and potentially open routes toward parts of the Kharkov region that he considers less prepared for defense.

He concluded that the ultimate course of the operation would depend on the Russian General Staff’s further plans.