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One night, two massive strikes: Ukraine hurled nearly 150 drones deep into Russian airspace, and Moscow struck back with one of its heaviest attacks yet on Ukraine’s defense industry. From the trenches of Donbas to the skies over the Baltic, the conflict is stretching wider — and harder — with every passing day.
Night of Drones and Missiles
The night of September 19–20 opened with a dramatic escalation. Ukrainian forces launched a wave of nearly 150 drones across multiple Russian regions. Air defenses shot down 149 of them — over Rostov, Saratov, Bryansk, Samara, Volgograd, and further afield — as far as the Black and Azov Seas.
For Moscow, the response was swift and heavy. Long-range precision missiles and drone swarms targeted Ukraine’s defense industry, with Dnipropetrovsk region absorbing the hardest blows. Industrial giants like Yuzhmash and Dnepropress, as well as the Pavlograd Mechanical Plant and the Agro-Soyuz logistics hub, were struck. In Dnipro, residents reported fires and power outages, calling it one of the city’s darkest nights since the start of the war.
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Dnipro at dawn: aftermath of Russia’s mass night attack
The scale and targets suggest a shift: Russia is no longer content with scattered strikes near the front. The campaign has circled back to deep-industrial Ukraine, where weapons are built and supply chains begin. (Read more Link).
Situation on the Frontlines
Sumy axis. Heavy positional battles continue across the entire frontline here. Ukrainian forces launched three counterattacks with the 225th Assault Regiment — two near Alekseyevka and one near Kondratovka. All attempts were repelled.
Russian formations also struck Ukrainian brigades around Alekseyevka, Mogritsa, Sadky, Sennoye, and Khrapovshchina. Losses in manpower and equipment on this axis highlight the intensity of fighting in what was once considered a secondary sector.
Sumy axis: modern FPV drones used to target and destroy a Ukrainian strongpoint
Kharkiv axis. Russian forces are advancing on several parts of the front. In Kupyansk, units are pushing slowly but steadily, taking ground building by building toward the city center. Ukrainian counterattacks from Smorodkovka — supported by a tank and two APCs — were repelled: both armored carriers were destroyed, the tank withdrew, and infantry attempts toward Moskovka were stopped.
Kharkiv region — Russian FPV drone shatters a Ukrainian military vehicle
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Further north, on the left bank of the Vovchya River in Volchansk, Russian troops expanded their bridgehead, occupying nine technical buildings and consolidating positions. To the east of the city, assault groups advanced in the area of Tykhoe. Assault Russian groups also advanced in the area of Otradne and in the direction of Bologivka.
Volchansk: 57th Brigade’s field position hit by four FAB-500s with UMPK guidance kits
Lyman axis. The long struggle for the Serebryansky forestry has tipped in Moscow’s favor. According to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, the forestry has been taken. This marks the collapse of Ukraine’s three-tiered defense system in the area after years of positional warfare.
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Russian units are now pressing the offensive further: advances are reported near Shandryholove, toward Aleksandrivka, and the settlement of Koroviy Yar. These moves widen the front beyond the forests, threatening Ukraine’s broader defensive line around Lyman.
Earlier in September, Russian forces encircled and eliminated Ukrainian troops south of Chervona Dibrova, a turning point that left local brigades overstretched. With the forest cleared and operations pushing into surrounding villages, attention is shifting to Yampil, where Russian units are already inside parts of the settlement.
Pokrovsk axis. North of Pokrovsk, clashes remain heavy. Ukrainian formations are attempting to cut the Dobropillia salient by pushing toward Boykovka and Novotoretskoye. Russian forces are simultaneously fighting on the approaches to Sofiyivka, Rodynske, Nikanorivka, and Novoye Shakhovo.
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In harsh conditions of mud and cold, Russian assault units dig tunnels and fortifications near Pokrovsk
Further southwest of the city, Russian troops captured the settlement of Muravka, expanding control in the Pokrovsk agglomeration and tightening pressure on Ukraine’s defensive lines.
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Analysts warn that if Russian formations manage to consolidate these gains, Pokrovsk risks being gradually encircled from several directions.
Kostiantynivka axis. Fighting remains intense east and southeast of the city. Russian units are pushing gradually into Pleshcheyevka and Ivanopil, pressing Ukrainian defenses along the Kleban-Byk reservoir.
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According to reports, a FAB-3000 airstrike destroyed one of the bridges in the area, complicating resupply and evacuation. Ukrainian logistics on this axis are increasingly strained.
To adapt, Ukrainian troops are making growing use of motorcycles, avoiding larger vehicles that are too vulnerable to Russian drones. However, even this tactic has its limits: Russian FPV drones with fiber-optic control have successfully targeted such mobile groups, including a recent strike on a rider inside Kostiantynivka itself.
Meanwhile, Predtechyne — once firmly held — is now drifting into “gray zone” status. Ukrainian forces still maintain control, but the situation is unstable, with Russian pressure mounting on multiple approaches.
Drone warfare is a defining feature of this sector: Ukrainian units employ heavy quadcopters such as the “Baba Yaga,” while Russian formations counter with precision FPVs and heavy aerial bombs.
Siversk axis: Russian FPV drones eliminate a U.S.-supplied MaxxPro armored vehicle
Dnipro–Zaporizhzhia axis. South of the Dnipropetrovsk–Zaporizhzhia boundary, Russian “Vostok” (East) grouping expanded its control. Troops captured the settlements of Novoivanivka and Berezove and are consolidating positions there.
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South of Mala Tokmachka, Zaporizhzhia region: Ukrainian manpower targeted and destroyed
At the same time, Russian forces are pushing toward Kalynivske, extending pressure deeper into Ukrainian defenses.
Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
While fighting rages across the front, another flashpoint reminded the world of the risks beyond trenches: Ukraine’s drones reached the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant. Two Ukrainian drones detonated above the training center of Zaporizhzhia NPP. No casualties, no critical damage, and radiation levels remain stable. But IAEA experts on-site were evacuated, a reminder of just how fragile safety becomes when drone warfare reaches atomic facilities.
Political Front
Diplomatic strain now stretches well beyond Ukraine. Poland accused Russian aircraft of buzzing an oil platform in the Baltic. Warsaw called it a provocation, though even Washington has not confirmed deliberate violations. Estonia, unsettled, requested NATO consultations. For many observers, the Baltic is emerging as the next line of confrontation.
Moscow pushed back with its own narrative. On September 19, three MiG-31 fighters flew from Karelia to Kaliningrad, following international rules. Russia says the jets stayed more than three kilometers from Estonia’s Vaindloo Island, never crossing into its airspace, a claim backed by flight tracking data.
Across the Atlantic, The Atlantic magazine reported that the Pentagon has labeled Patriot air-defense systems “scarce” and begun rejecting new export requests. Denmark, among others, was left empty-handed. Washington’s focus on its own stockpiles could narrow Kiev’s options for strengthening its air defenses.
Meanwhile, Britain is looking forward. Defense Secretary John Healey announced a new Tekever plant in Swindon — the country’s largest drone facility. It will produce AR3 and AR5 reconnaissance drones, with plans for the AR3 EVO line. Both systems have been trialed by Ukraine over the Black Sea, and now London is betting big on lessons learned in real combat.
Outlook
The night of September 20 marked a shift in tempo: Ukrainian drones reached farther into Russia than in previous weeks, and Moscow answered with one of its most punishing blows against Ukraine’s defense industry. On the frontlines, Russian forces are not racing forward but grinding through, village by village, across Donbas and into Dnipropetrovsk region.
Abroad, the conflict is casting longer shadows. Washington is rationing Patriot systems, London is betting on new drone factories, and NATO’s eastern members are sounding alarms after Baltic air incidents.
The war’s geography is no longer confined: it stretches from the trenches of Donbas to the factories of Dnipro, from skies above Moscow’s heartland to the cold waters of the Baltic Sea — a reminder that every front is now connected, and every escalation risks opening a new one.
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remember when you idiots thought kiev would fall in 3 days?
heheheh…you dumb orc bastads…
the 3 days (a week at most)war just 1 million russia casulaties