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As the war in Ukraine reaches increasing levels of intensity, Russian forces have amplified their missile and drone assaults, according to Ukrainian officials and analysts. The Kremlin's dual strategy aims both to demoralize the Ukrainian population and to break down the defensive lines through ground attacks. Recently, Ukrainian troops have been compelled to retreat from certain positions in the Donetsk region and parts of the north. Rural areas in the south have also fallen under Russian control.

However, Ukraine's expanded use of drones has allowed its military to inflict significant losses on Russian troops with minimal casualties in return. Kyiv is working to enhance its domestic drone industry to create what is being dubbed a "drone wall," a defensive corridor along critical frontlines. The effectiveness of these drones will likely be crucial in upcoming months.

Despite U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to propose a ceasefire, Russia has expanded its production of missiles and drones over the past year. This has enabled mass attacks involving hundreds of projectiles aimed at overwhelming Ukraine's air defenses. On the ground, Russian forces are testing Ukrainian defenses along vast stretches from Zaporizhzhia in the south to Sumy in the north. Russian troops are making gradual progress, advancing into abandoned villages and crossing open countryside.

According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in Washington, Russian advances have averaged about 14 square kilometers per day in 2025. At this rate, it could take nearly four years for Russia to occupy the entire regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, which Moscow has illegally annexed. Alongside seizing territory, the Kremlin aims to project a sense of Russian military superiority to Ukraine’s allies.

A significant portion of the fighting is concentrated in Donetsk, where Russian forces are focused on capturing key towns such as Kostyantynivka and Pokrovsk. According to ISW assessments, Russian forces have captured around 65 square kilometers of territory, although they lack the ability to intensify their offensive on multiple fronts simultaneously. In the north, Russian units have advanced slightly into the Sumy region, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noted that Russia is building a buffer zone 10 kilometers deep into Ukrainian territory.

Meanwhile, missile and air-launched guided bomb attacks continue to support these ground operations. Zelensky stated that while Russian troops are gathering in the Sumy direction, Ukrainian forces are making progress in the region. The bombardment into Sumy follows a Kremlin directive to create buffer zones in northern Ukraine, which includes the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.

Further battles have been reported around Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region. Analysts suggest that Ukraine's military must continually assess and adapt to the changing threats along the 1,000-kilometer frontline, redeploying units as necessary despite facing manpower shortages over three years into the conflict.

Despite suffering heavy losses, Russia continues to bolster its ranks. Ukrainian military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that Kyiv is confronting a combined enemy force of up to 640,000 personnel. President Zelensky also noted that Ukraine has around 880,000 soldiers defending its territory, although Russian forces are concentrated in key areas.

Drone warfare will likely remain a pivotal element of the conflict. The Russian advances in Donetsk have been supported by drone strikes that cut off Ukrainian units from their supply lines up to 30 kilometers from the front. Ukrainian forces are striving to perfect a drone defense system, known as the "drone wall," which is designed to form an integrated defensive corridor along vulnerable frontiers. This system will necessitate advanced integration and possibly AI-assisted decision-making.

Experts like Mick Ryan and Konrad Muzyka highlight the increasing proficiency of Ukrainian drone-artillery coordination, which has achieved successful defenses against Russian assaults across several fronts. However, the construction of an effective drone wall will require sophisticated electronic warfare capabilities and seamless integration. As the conflict progresses, the role of advanced drone technology on both sides will likely determine the outcomes on the battlefield.