Russian Forces Capture Another Settlement in Donetsk as Ukraine Makes Minimal Gains in Kursk

Ukrainian air defenses successfully intercepted three missiles and twenty-five drones launched by Russia overnight, according to Kyiv's air force. The attack targeted nine regions across central, northern, and southern Ukraine. Earlier reports indicated that Ukrainian air defenses had thwarted a Russian air assault on the capital, Kyiv.

In Kursk Oblast, the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported minimal progress by Ukrainian forces as of August 19. Both sides have provided scant official details, relying instead on information from online sources. Geolocation footage from August 19 shows Ukrainian advances in the Vishnevka area, southwest of Korenevo. The Russian Ministry of Defense has reported Russian aircraft and artillery strikes on Ukrainian positions near Vishnevka.

Russian sources, including a Kremlin-linked milbloggers, also indicate Ukrainian advances in several locations, such as Russkoe Porechnoe and Agronom, northeast and east of Suja, respectively. The Russian Defense Ministry claims to have repelled Ukrainian sabotage attempts south of Skrilevka and Sheptuhova. There are also reports of ongoing clashes near Tetkino and an alleged Ukrainian airstrike that reportedly destroyed a bridge over the Seym River in Karizh, although ISW has not confirmed this.

In the Donetsk region, Russia's Defense Ministry announced on Monday that its troops had captured the settlement of Artemovo, also known as Zalizne in Ukraine. Described as a significant population center, Zalizne is located near New York and Toretsk, which Russian forces are also targeting. The town, with a pre-war population of around 5,000, is one of the larger settlements recently captured by Russian troops.

Yesterday, Russian forces reported their capture of New York.

The Donetsk region has witnessed some of the most intense fighting of the conflict, with Kyiv struggling to maintain its front line amid shortages of manpower and ammunition. Moscow claims to have taken several smaller settlements in the region, but it has not achieved full control over any of the four Ukrainian regions it annexed in 2022.