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Russia Pushes Across Four Fronts but Fails to Break Through as Ukraine Counterattacks, ISW Says
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Russian forces pressed offensive operations across several sectors of the front. Still, they failed to secure confirmed advances in key areas of the Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Sumy regions as Ukrainian troops counterattacked, according to the Institute for the Study of War on September 1.
In the northern Kharkiv region and toward Velykyi Burluk, Russian troops continued offensive operations but made no advances as Ukrainian forces launched counterattacks.
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The same pattern played out around Kupiansk, where Russian forces conducted limited assaults without securing any confirmed territorial gains.
Russian sources had circulated footage purporting to show Russian troops operating in Velyka Shapkivka, northwest of Kupiansk, and north of Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi as evidence of an advance.
ISW, however, said it has reason to believe the footage may have been doctored or generated using artificial intelligence.
While Russian propagandist paint pictures of "victories," Ukraine's Defense Forces are making advances in the Kupiansk area.
— SPRAVDI — Stratcom Centre (@StratcomCentre) August 31, 2026
Soldiers of the 23rd Assault Battalion of the "Charter" Regiment are advancing west of Dvorichna.
In recent days, they have cleared another 2 km² of… pic.twitter.com/5EB7ufF1Fo
Russian troops also attempted to advance toward Borova but failed to gain ground as Ukrainian forces counterattacked.
Russian military sources themselves reported Ukrainian counterattacks north of Shyikivka, near Ridkodub and Nove, and toward Katerynivka. Some Russian military bloggers acknowledged that Ukrainian forces had advanced and achieved tactically significant gains in the area.
The fighting remained intense in the Donetsk region.
Russian forces continued offensive operations toward Sloviansk on August 31 and September 1 but recorded no confirmed advances. Ukrainian troops, meanwhile, counterattacked both north and south of Lyman.
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Moscow has been reinforcing this sector and increasingly using artillery against the approaches to Sloviansk and Druzhkivka, indicating continued preparations for further offensive operations.
Russian forces also continued assaults in the Pokrovsk and Novopavlivka directions without securing confirmed gains, while Ukrainian troops counterattacked during limited Russian operations in the Oleksandrivka sector.
ISW also flagged another questionable Russian battlefield claim near Dobropillia. Russian sources circulated footage supposedly showing troops raising a flag in Novoandriivka, but analysts said the material was likely doctored or AI-altered as part of an effort to exaggerate Russian territorial advances.
In the Zaporizhzhia region, Russian forces carried out limited offensive operations toward Huliaipole on August 31 and September 1 but again failed to achieve any confirmed advance.
At the same time, Ukraine continued striking Russian military equipment and logistics routes deeper inside occupied territory.
Ukrainian drones targeted vehicles traveling along the M-14 Rostov-Crimea highway and the H-30 Berdiansk-Tokmak-Vasylivka route north of occupied Tokmak, disrupting roads used to sustain Russian forces farther forward.
Russian troops also continued offensive operations in northern Sumy region on September 1 without making confirmed advances.
Russian military bloggers claimed Moscow’s forces entered Ulanove and advanced near Potapivka and Sadky, all northwest of Sumy, but ISW said there was no confirmed evidence supporting those claims.
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The latest fighting comes as Russia’s broader offensive continues to produce relatively limited results despite sustained pressure across the front.
ISW assessed that the rate of Russian advance increased slightly in August, but Moscow’s spring-summer offensive still failed to achieve an operational breakthrough or rapidly collapse Ukrainian defensive lines. Russian territorial gains remained slow and largely tactical even in sectors receiving significant manpower and resources.
Earlier, reports emerged that Ukrainian paratroopers destroyed 114 Russian military shelters in the Kupiansk sector, disrupting logistics and making it more difficult for Russian forces to concentrate infantry for further assaults.
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