Ukrainians Penetrate Russian Flanks and Retake a Town!

Today, the biggest news comes from the Lyman direction.

Here, a major Russian flanking operation collapsed under pressure, leaving their forces overextended and vulnerable across a critical stretch of the front. With the opportunity door opened, Ukrainian troops immediately took the initiative and launched a decisive attack to seize another town.

As reported last time, Ukrainian troops had successfully retaken Ridkodub using drone reconnaissance and maneuver warfare to penetrate the Russian defenses. Their goals were not just to capture ground, but to disrupt Russian attempts to reestablish control in this exposed corner of the Donetsk region.

In response, Russian forces attempted to outflank the Ukrainian troops, designed to bypass the new Ukrainian positions and strike their rear. Russian troops were deployed from multiple directions, namely from the west of Zelena Dolyna and from the south, with the intention of undermining Ukraine’s hold on Ridkodub. But the plan had several fatal flaws, because the distance between Russian staging areas and Ukrainian positions meant that the attacking units had to cross long stretches of open terrain.

Worse, the lack of forested cover and the extensive Ukrainian drone presence made concealment virtually impossible.

By the time Russian infantry began advancing, their movement had already been detected. Ukrainian FPV drones and munition drops intercepted the assault columns before they reached the contact line.

Multiple video footages show infantry stranded in open fields being eliminated one by one. Other groups tried to crawl forward under sporadic artillery support, but persistent drone observation made progress impossible, and Ukrainian fire control dismantled the flanking effort before it could get close.

In the previous operation, Ukrainian commanders had noted that Russia’s local reserves respond slowly to changes in frontline dynamics, sometimes taking days to adapt. That delay proved decisive because Ukrainian forces had already consolidated their control over Ridkodub and anticipated the counterattack, so when it came, they were fully prepared, inflicting heavy Russian losses for no territorial gain. Since the Russian push failed, many attackers were killed before reaching Ukrainian lines, leaving the Russian frontlines undermanned, overstretched, and tactically exposed. Many of the soldiers involved were likely wounded during the failed assault, and because of Ukraine’s persistent fire control in the area, evacuation was nearly impossible. It is already difficult for Russian units to rotate fresh troops into this zone without taking losses; doing so with wounded troops under pressure makes restoring control over the front even harder.

That is why Ukrainian forces immediately seized the opportunity, and units from the Third Army Corps launched a coordinated assault on Novomykhailivka. The push targeted exposed flanks left vulnerable after the failed Russian counterattacks at Ridkodub. Ukrainian drones were first used to clear out forward Russian positions and mark artillery targets, softening the defenses before the main attack.

The armored column then moved in from two sides, avoiding main roads and using minor treelines for cover as it approached the town perimeter. Once inside Novomykhailivka, the assault accelerated.

Bradleys and lighter vehicles advanced block by block, while infantry squads flushed out Russian groups hiding in damaged homes and treelines. Dozens of guided drone strikes struck entrenched Russian positions in the lead-up, and radio intercepts indicate the garrison had already requested reinforcements before the assault began.

Combat footage shows Ukrainian troops pushing through the town under drone cover, with Russian defenders unable to establish a coordinated response. The fighting lasted only a few hours, and by the end, at least one full Russian company had been neutralized. With the town secured, Ukrainian forces pressed further south, widening the breach. Russian command was forced to pull reserves from neighboring sectors, weakening their grip on adjacent parts of the line.

Overall, what makes this operation significant is not just the ground retaken, but the precision and tempo with which it was done. Ukraine is no longer waiting for Russian offensives to stall; they are disrupting them in real time, striking as soon as units overextend. Russian formations remain overstretched and reactive, and each failed push leaves another opening. Novomykhailivka shows that Ukraine is not just holding its line; it is setting the pace and choosing where the next collapse will happen.

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