ISW: Russian forces conducted unsuccessful attacks near Avdiivka and Marinka.

On Sept.

25, Russian forces failed in ground attacks near Avdiivka and Marinka on the western outskirts of Donetsk, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported. "Russian forces continued their fruitless ground assaults along the Avdiivka-Donetsk City line," the ISW said. Russian forces were also unable to retake lost ground near Novomykhailivka, 36 kilometers southwest of Adviivka.

Russian troops conducted failed strikes near Klishchiivka, as well as to the east and southeast of Bohdanivka (seven kilometers northwest of Bakhmut), according to reports from the Ukrainian military. On Sept.

24 and 25, a number of Russian military commentators claimed that Russian troops had driven Ukrainian soldiers from their positions in Orikhovo-Vasylivka (10 kilometers northwest of Bakhmut)and were now in charge of the settlement. Another Russian commentator claimed that Ukrainian forces launched a counterattack nearby after Russian forces apparently secured the village.

However, the ISW has not obtained visual evidence to support reports that Russian troops have taken taken Orikhovo-Vasylivka. The ISW reported that Russian forces made no confirmed gains in their offensives near Bakhmut. Captain Ilya Yevlash, a spokesperson for Ukrainian forces fighting on the eastern front, reported that Ukrainian troops liberated an additional two kilometers of land in the direction of Bakhmut.

Overcoming setbacks, NATO-trained brigade breaches Surovikin line in Zaporizhzhia Oblast

Editor's note: The soldiers featured in this article are identified by first name and callsign only for security reasons.

ZAPORIZHZHIA OBLAST - Even months before it started, just the idea of Ukraine's large-scale counteroffensive in 2023 carried on its shoulders a historic weight.

Having held bac...