As the world watches with bated breath, the war in Ukraine has taken a dramatic and potentially pivotal turn just days before a high-stakes summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska. Russian forces have managed to breach Ukrainian defenses in the eastern Donetsk region, sparking fears of a broader breakthrough that could shift the war’s momentum and influence the diplomatic calculus at the negotiating table.
On August 13, 2025, local officials reported that Russian attacks killed one civilian and injured another in Shakhove, Donetsk region. The previous night, the town of Bilozerske suffered a devastating bombardment, leaving two dead and seven wounded, including a 16-year-old boy, according to the regional prosecutor’s office. The AFP news agency described a scene of hurried evacuations from Bilozerske as Russian troops advanced, heightening anxiety among residents and Ukrainian authorities alike.
Battlefield monitoring group DeepState and the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have tracked Russian advances in Nikanorivka, Shcherbynivka, and near Petrivka, all in Donetsk. These movements, while involving small groups of troops, have raised alarms about the potential for a more significant breach. DeepState noted that Russian forces have penetrated Ukrainian lines near Dobropillia, roughly 20 kilometers north of Pokrovsk—a city that has long been a strategic target for Moscow.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the nation in a somber briefing, stating, “Groups of Russians have advanced about 10 kilometers in several places. All of them have no equipment, only weapons in their hands. Some have already been found, partially destroyed, partially captured.” According to Zelenskyy, Russia’s objective is clear: to create the impression of unstoppable momentum ahead of the Alaska summit, thereby pressuring Ukraine into concessions at the negotiating table. “The task of this advance is clear to us,” he said, adding that Russia is trying to shape perceptions just days before the critical meeting with Trump.
Despite the concerning advances, Ukrainian officials have been quick to clarify that these are not large-scale territorial gains. Instead, they describe a battlefield characterized by isolated, covert outposts, with Ukrainian infantry holding ground in two-man positions resupplied by drones. A commander near Pokrovsk, speaking anonymously to CNN, painted a stark picture: “Rather than two frontline trenches facing each other, the battlefield now consists of a series of mostly hidden, isolated and small outposts, where infantry try to hold ground covertly, without being spotted by enemy drones.”
Valentin Manko, commander of Ukraine’s Assault Forces, told CNN, “The enemy is trying to use the ‘thousand cuts’ tactic. Three small groups of several men each slipped through our positions (near Dobropillia). They slipped through and inflicted some damage. Some of them were destroyed, some were taken prisoner.” Ukrainian ground forces emphasized that such infiltrations do not equate to control of territory. Viktor Tregubov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s ground forces in the neighboring Dnipro region, explained, “What actually happened is that a small Russian group—perhaps five to 10 people—managed to slip through. It doesn’t mean they control the entire route they moved through. They simply made their way in and tried to hide in a basement somewhere.”
The Ukrainian General Staff reported that more than 110,000 Russian personnel are now concentrated near Pokrovsk, with reinforcements being rushed to the area. The manpower ratio, Zelenskyy admitted, is daunting—three to one in Russia’s favor—but he noted that Russian losses are also three times higher than Ukraine’s. “They are preparing for an offensive operation, we believe, in three directions. The main directions are Zaporizhzhia, Pokrovsk, and Novopavlivka,” Zelenskyy said, warning that Russia’s troop buildup appears timed to coincide with the Alaska summit and could lead to further offensives after August 15.
Lt. Col. Bohdan Krotevych, a former chief of staff of the Azov Brigade, issued a rare public warning to Zelenskyy about the deteriorating situation near Pokrovsk: “Mr President, I honestly don’t know what you’re being told, but I am informing you that the situation (near Pokrovsk) is, without exaggeration, a complete mess. The front line is virtually non-existent.” Military blogger Bohdan Miroshnikov echoed these concerns, writing on Telegram, “The situation in the area is gradually approaching the point where Pokrovsk… can no longer be saved. For now, that point has not yet been reached. The critical moment has not yet come. But unfortunately, everything is heading in that direction as of now.”
International observers are watching closely. The ISW cautioned that it is “premature” to declare an operational breakthrough, but warned that the next several days “will likely be critical for Ukraine’s ability to prevent accelerated Russian gains north and northwest of Pokrovsk.” Pasi Paroinen, an analyst with Finland’s Black Bird Group, told NBC News, “If the Russians do break through and consolidate, it could be very bad for the Ukrainians.” He noted that Russia often intensifies military operations in support of ongoing negotiations, suggesting the timing of the current offensive is no coincidence.
The mounting crisis on the ground is mirrored by high-stakes diplomacy. President Zelenskyy has said that Russia wants Ukraine to withdraw from the entire Donetsk region as part of a ceasefire deal—a demand he called extreme and unacceptable. He described the upcoming summit in Alaska as a “personal victory” for Putin, noting, “because he is meeting on US territory,” and because he “has somehow postponed sanctions.” Zelenskyy also revealed he had received a “first signal” from U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff that Russia might be open to a ceasefire, though details remain sparse.
The White House, for its part, has sought to downplay expectations. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt described the Anchorage meeting as “a listening exercise for the president,” aimed at gaining “a better understanding of how we can end this war.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke by phone on Tuesday, with both sides confirming their commitment to ensuring a successful summit.
Meanwhile, the war’s toll continues to mount. Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service claimed a successful drone strike on a Russian drone storage facility in Tatarstan, while Russia’s Ministry of Defence reported shooting down six guided bombs and 179 drones within a 24-hour span. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported smoke at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant but confirmed “no radiation increase, no nuclear safety impact reported, and no casualties.”
As both sides brace for what may be a decisive period, the eyes of the world are fixed on Alaska, where the fate of Ukraine—and perhaps the wider balance of power in Europe—may hinge on the outcome of a single summit.
