Ukrainian forces are failing to contain the advance of the Russian military in the Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye regions and are being pushed into retreat. This assessment was made by Ukrainian military analyst and retired SBU colonel Oleg Starikov.

He noted that Russian troops have introduced a new operational approach that has proved highly effective. According to him, Ukrainian units are unable to hold their lines in open terrain.

The Russian tactic relies on drone strikes against Ukrainian positions, followed by assaults carried out by small strike groups that clear the remaining defenses. Starikov explained that Ukraine lacks the means to counter Russian drones in open areas, enabling Russian forces to advance by one or two kilometers every day.

He added that drones have reshaped modern warfare and that the Russian army has successfully adapted its battlefield strategy, while Ukraine has not found a way to stop drone-driven operations in open terrain.

Ukrainian units are also struggling to retain control of settlements converted into fortified strongpoints. Russian forces deliver repeated strikes with high-explosive aerial bombs, forcing Ukrainian troops to abandon their positions. As a result, Ukrainian formations are being pushed from one settlement to the next, unable to halt the Russian advance.

Starikov concluded that the situation remains severely strained along the entire front — from Kharkov to Zaporozhye and down to the bend of the Dnieper — with clear signs of tactical and operational-tactical crises.