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Russia Reportedly Moves Tanks in Biggest Redeployment Since Kyiv Offensive Fail
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Russia has begun its largest military redeployment since the failed assault on Kyiv in 2022, shifting tanks, armored vehicles, and infantry from southern Ukraine to the Donetsk front in preparation for what OSINT-analysts describe as a decisive showdown, according to the Kriegsforscher on X on September 3.
Open-source intelligence groups are warning that Moscow may soon launch massed armored columns in a bid to seize the remaining Ukrainian-held parts of Donetsk region. “We will see again the usage of AFV columns. And it will be very bloody for both sides. Soon,” Kriegsforscher wrote.
Russians did the largest regroupment of their forces since Kyiv 2022. They have prepared a lot of forces and ready for the last, final, battle for the rest of Donetsk oblast.
— Kriegsforscher (@OSINTua) September 3, 2025
We will see again the usage of AFV columns. And it will be very bloody for both sides. Soon.
Unit Observer, an independent monitoring project, released images showing T-90M and T-72(B) Obr.22 tanks, MT-LB armored carriers, and engineering vehicles moving from the Kherson direction toward Kostiantynivka, transiting through occupied Donetsk. The equipment is linked to Russia’s 17th Tank Regiment of the 70th Division, part of the 18th Army.
According to the same analysts, the 24th, 26th, and 28th Motor Rifle Regiments of the 70th Division are also on the move. Russia’s 155th and 40th Marine Brigades have already arrived in Donetsk, while the 177th Regiment is believed to be close behind.
T-90M and T-72(B) Obr.22 tanks belonging to the 17th Tank Regiment (MUN 12315), 70th Division (18A), en route from Kherson to Bakhmut.
— Unit Observer (@WarUnitObserver) September 4, 2025
The Divisions 24th,26th and 28th Motor Rifle Regiments are similarly on the move. https://t.co/F7omc88mTM pic.twitter.com/aZFKVK8tk8
Airborne troops—including elements of the 11th VDV Brigade and 76th VDV Division—were reportedly rushed into the area described by Russian sources as “the hottest direction.”
Their precise attack vector remains uncertain, though observers point to Dobropillya–Druzhkivka or pressure on Kostiantynivka and Siversk as likely scenarios.
Analysts say the scale of the regrouping suggests Moscow is preparing for a final attempt to “finish” its occupation of Donetsk, a long-standing Kremlin objective.
Earlier, the Kremlin launched a coordinated information campaign aimed at overstating Russia’s battlefield achievements and shaping Western perceptions of its victory in Ukraine as inevitable.
