RismadarVoice Reporters
August 28, 2026
Ukraine has reinforced its positions in the eastern Donetsk region as Russian forces intensify efforts to advance towards Sloviansk, a key city in Ukraine’s defensive “fortress belt”.
The development comes as Ukraine steps up long-range attacks aimed at disrupting Russia’s production and supply of weapons, fuel and military equipment.
Britain and France have also agreed to transfer technology linked to the Storm Shadow cruise missile to Ukraine, as Kyiv increasingly focuses on targeting Russian missile production facilities and launch systems rather than relying solely on air-defence systems to intercept incoming missiles.
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi ordered the reinforcement of two units defending Sloviansk on August 26, according to reports.
Russian forces have also infiltrated parts of Kostiantynivka, south of Sloviansk, although Ukrainian forces continue to hold positions in central and northern parts of the city.
Russian military chief Valery Gerasimov said Russian troops were about four kilometres from Sloviansk. However, maps compiled by the Institute for the Study of War and the Deep State monitoring project place Russian forces between 12 and 16 kilometres from the city.
Ukraine has meanwhile intensified attacks on Russian military infrastructure, including ammunition and drone storage facilities, airfields, transport routes, missile launchers and radar installations.
According to the report, Ukrainian forces have also targeted Russian oil refineries and other industrial facilities in an attempt to weaken Moscow’s ability to sustain its military operations.
Since June, Ukrainian long-range strikes have reportedly hit Russian refineries 31 times. Ukrainian attacks have also targeted facilities belonging to major Russian retailers and logistics networks.
Ukraine has separately targeted infrastructure in Crimea, including power stations and substations. Russian-installed officials in Crimea have acknowledged difficulties with electricity supplies.
The conflict has also continued to affect civilian areas in Ukraine. Russian drone and missile attacks have reportedly killed and injured civilians in several regions, including Kryvyi Rih, Poltava, Sumy and Kherson.
Ukraine has faced difficulties obtaining enough Patriot missiles to defend against Russian ballistic missiles. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Kyiv wants to secure hundreds of additional interceptors ahead of winter but acknowledged that production levels make such a target difficult to achieve.
Zelenskyy has also said Russia could potentially produce up to 1,300 ballistic missiles annually and that Ukraine is working to disrupt that capability.
As part of its response, Ukraine is developing its own long-range and ballistic missile capabilities while expanding the use of drones and Western-supplied cruise missile technology.
The latest developments indicate that Ukraine is increasingly combining frontline defence in Donetsk with long-range strikes against Russia’s military and industrial infrastructure.
