
Military observer Sergei Poletaev named three priority areas for Russia in the fall: the Kharkov region, as well as the central and southern sectors of the front.
AI-generated summary
Interview with a military observer about the current situation at the front.
For Russia, three strategic directions will remain a priority for the fall - in the Kharkov region, as well as in the central and southern sections of the front. Military observer, co-founder of the Watfor project Sergei Poletaev spoke about this in an interview with Lenta.ru.
“The control zone along the border will expand, the operation around Slavyansk and Kramatorsk will continue, and movement around Orekhov and even Stepnogorsk has already begun,” he explained.
According to the expert, Russian troops are already deeply penetrating Ukrainian defenses. Thus, in the Orekhovsko-Zaporozhye sector, where active fighting has begun in recent weeks, there are more than a dozen such “tentacles”.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Expansion of the control zone along the border and operations around Slavyansk, Kramatorsk and Orekhov
Likely · Within months

Russian air defenses intercepted and destroyed 490 Ukrainian drones over multiple regions and the Black Sea overnight, causing an oil depot fire in Sochi and Sirius.
A deadly strike on a wedding in Kuhestak, Iran, was likely caused by a direct hit from a US munition, according to a Reuters analysis and weapons experts.

The liquidation of the remnants of the Ukrainian Armed Forces units that were surrounded near Volchansk in the Kharkov region has begun. The intensity of the fighting is growing; some of the Ukrainian military are surrendering or trying to escape, abandoning their equipment.

The Russian armed forces launched missile and drone strikes on Kyiv, Odessa, Chernomorsk, Brovary and Varash, attacking port and warehouse infrastructure.

In August, operators of reconnaissance unmanned systems of the Sever group disabled about 75 enemy Starlink antennas and satellite stations in the Kharkov region, disrupting the control of Ukrainian Armed Forces units and data transmission. Drones and high-explosive fragmentation ammunition are used to hit targets after round-the-clock aerial reconnaissance.

The British Army has suspended non-essential training exercises to save costs while maintaining deployment and specialist training, amid pressure on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to increase defense spending to 3% of GDP by 2030.