How Foliage Helped Russia Break Through Ukrainian Lines

In eastern Ukraine, Russians have made record advancements, and surprisingly, it has not been through the large-scale use of armor.

With the summer months filling the countryside with green, Ukrainian units are having trouble detecting Russian assaults before they can overwhelm a frontline position. 

In June, Russians took control of a confirmed 556 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory, the worst figure recorded in 2025. Notably, over half of Russian gains were recorded in the Kurakhove and Pokrovsk directions, where the Russian 8th Combined Arms Army is pressing forward with over a hundred thousand soldiers. Notably, the rate of Russian advances has been on the rise since May, but so are their losses, with an estimated over 32,000 Russian casualties reported in only June, an average of 1,081 soldiers per day.

The main reason for the high rate of Russian advances is twofold. Firstly, Ukrainians are suffering from a shortage of infantry on the frontline, and while Russian forces suffer from the same issues, they have proven to be able to replace their losses at a much higher rate than Ukraine. The result is that Ukraine generally does not have enough soldiers to hold the whole frontline properly, causing gaps and weak spots to appear.

Russians take advantage of this by having small pure-infantry assault groups slip through Ukrainian lines, surround positions that are guarded by Ukrainian soldiers, and attack from all sides.

However, the biggest change that has massively increased the effectiveness of this Russian tactic, allowing for the big spike in territorial gains, is the increase in foliage. 

Since May, Ukrainian tree lines, forests, and fields have been full of leaves, grass, bushes, and other plants. Aside from being a problem for soldiers with allergies, this massive increase in foliage has allowed small Russian assault groups to pass through virtually undetected.

Even Russian assaults through the fields are becoming harder to detect, as the tall grass or other unmowed crops can rise over a soldier’s head, making even suicidal Russian charges across open fields somewhat less suicidal. This foliage blocks direct observation of these Russian assault groups, giving Russian assaults a significant concealment factor. 

However, the main problem is that drones and stationary observation cameras with infrared or thermal imaging are unable to see through this dense shrubbery, significantly undermining the effectiveness of Ukrainian observation teams. As you might remember, these observation teams are crucial in holding the line, as they can direct drones and artillery strikes to eliminate Russian assault groups before they can reach Ukrainian positions. 

An unfortunate addition to the decreased effectiveness of Ukrainian reconnaissance, is that more and more drone crews report Russian infiltrators engaging their positions, even in the rear. As Russians are now more easily infiltrating through Ukrainian lines, Russian commanders often send a small group of soldiers to engage the underground bunkers from which Ukrainian drone crews operate. While they engage the Ukrainian drone operators, other assault groups launch a simultaneous attack on a Ukrainian frontline position, leaving Ukrainian soldiers without adequate drone support.

While these rear assault groups often only number two or three soldiers to remain undetected, and are therefore easily killed by the drone crews, the break in their drone operations gives Russian assault groups a significantly higher chance of overwhelming the frontline positions they assault.

However, the success of this tactic largely relies on excellent coordination between several Russian units, and Ukrainian soldiers report that Russians often launch the attack in piecemeal, allowing them to deal with each assault group one at a time. 

Overall, instead of armor, infantry is now the main driving force in Russian offensives, responsible for the largest Russian territorial gains seen this year. The increase in foliage to conceal Russian movements and the shortage of Ukrainian infantry on the front line have greatly enhanced the ability of Russian assault groups to infiltrate Ukrainian lines and launch coordinated attacks. While sometimes successful, these Russian assaults are very much reliant on excellent coordination, often lacking amongst Russian soldiers with only two weeks of training or less, resulting in substantial losses in manpower despite overall advancements. 

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