It has been Two weeks. In that Short Span of time, Russia’s Communications have Collapsed, and Ukraine has Launched a Devastating Counterattack in the Southeast. Putin’s Frontline is Disintegrating under the Relentless Ukrainian Pressure. And as Ukraine Rips the Russian Frontline to Shreds, Putin’s Forces Scatter like Headless Chickens in a Humiliating Display of the Real State of the Russian Army: Lost. Desperate, and Stagnant, Russia is a Broken Army that has Flatlined in Ukraine.
In the Wake of Russian Communications Collapsing earlier in February, Ukraine has Launched a Counter Offensive in the Southeast, that continues to Push Forward. Ukraine’s Soldiers, Advancing from the Eest and North, are pushing Putin’s Forces Out of Settlements they thought they’d Secured, and Russia can’t do much about it. Sure, Russia is trying to Rush Firepower and ReinforCements to the Areas where Ukraine is Counterattacking. But it isn’t enough. Russia has become Frantic and Panicked, and that all Adds up to yet more Gains for Ukraine in a War that Putin was trying to Claim was all but Over toward the End of 2025.
But first, let’s Head to Dobropillia. A Small Mining Town about 95 kilometers, or 59 miles, West of Donetsk, Dobropillia has long been a Bastion for Ukraine. When Separatists in the Donetsk Region were Trying Desperately to Push through Putin’s Ambition of Taking that Region Back in 2014, the Entrepreneurs and Activists in the Town, Organized themselves to Protect their Status as Ukrainians. Not a lot has Changed Since.
Though Russia Cntinuously Launches Offensives in the Dobropillia Sector as it attempts to Surround Key Cities in Donetsk, Ukraine keeps Pushing Back. In Mid-February, Ukraine not only Defended but Launched a Counterattack that Left Putin’s Forces Devastated. Dobropillia Straddles the Line between the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts, where Ukraine has been Counterattacking-en-Masse since early February. Near that Line, Russia’s 36th Combined Arms Army holds Positions across the Western Edge of Dobropillia, from which it attempts to Launch Assaults on the Village.
Those Russian Soldiers tried again in an Incident on 2/18/2026, by Ukraine’s 33rd Separate Assault Regiment (OSHP), on Telegram. Let’s get that Straight. Russia Loaded a Contingent of Soldiers into a Single Vehicle and then just Drove Straight at a Ukrainian Position in Broad Daylight. This is Desperation.
The Russian Convoy, if you can Call it that with only One Vehicle, was easily Spotted by Ukraine, it Attempted to Roll along the R 85 (formerly T 0401) Highway, just North of Dobropillia. Ukraine’s Reconnaissance Drones easily Spotted it, as Revealed in a Video Shared by the Outlet. The Vehicle, Slow-Moving and Unable to Evade, was Struck Right in the Windshield by a Tamikaze Drone. The Russians inside Scattered, but Left-Out in the Open and in Daylight, they were easy Targets for Ukraine. One by One, the Russian Soldiers trying to Drive toward Dobropillia were Picked Off by Ukraine’s Artillery.
By the End of the Ukrainian Counter-Attack, up to 15 Lay Dead or Wounded in Open Fields and Scattered Woodland, All because they Launched a Ridiculous Assault that anybody with Half-a-Brain would know Ukraine would Spot easily.The Russians were trying to Move on Ukraine’s Defenders in Daylight and Across Open Territory. Such a Stupid Attack could Only be Launched by an Army that has Run-Out of Ideas and has No Defined Strategy. But that is Russia in the Southeast of Ukraine Tight Now.
Putin’s Forces are Running around like Headless Chickens in Humiliating Attempts at Assaulting Ukraine, there are several Reasons why. First up: Communications. Russia basically doesn’t have them anymore. In Early February, Ukraine and Engineers from Elon Musk’s SpaceX Collaborated on the Creation of a New Whitelist system, through which Sarlink Terminals could be Registered for Use in Ukraine. That alone doesn’t seem like a Big Deal. But that Whitelist essentially served as a Blacklist for All of the Ilicit Starlink Terminals that Russia has been using on the Grontlines.
Don’t Underestimate the Impact this has had on Russia’s Ability to Control its Forces. Starlink was used by Russia to Communicate Orders and other Key Information. Frontline Operations Units, Strike Drone Operators, and Fire Correction Teams, All used it. That is Gone now. And Russia is Feeling the Pain. To Rub Salt in the Gaping Russian Communication Wound, Putin himself made what may go down as His Dumbest Ddecision since He Launched His supposed “Special Military Operation.”
With His Soldiers Scrambling to find a Replacement for Starlink, Putin decided to severely Limit access to the Social Media Platform Telegram, which ReutersrReports, Kremlin has been trying to do since 2018. That Telegram Crackdown couldn’t have come at a Worse time for Russia’s Forces. Already Struggling without Starlink, Putin’s Soldiers Lost access to an app that The Moscow Times notes they used Extensively for Tactical and Operational Command in Ukraine. Telegram helps Russia’s Forces Organize Logistics, download Maps, send Real-Time Footage, and even Raise Funds to Equip the Soldiers that Putin is trying to Send into Ukraine without any Equipment.
The Russian ProWwar Blogger Fighterbomber summed the Situation Up, stating, “Within a day after Telegram's slowdown, I received about five videos from anonymous military personnel complaining that they're completely screwed without Telegram.” If you want the Main Reason why Russia thought it would be Smart to Attack Dobropillia in Broad Daylight using One Truck, you now have your Answer. The Soldiers in that Truck had No Idea what they were doing. With Communications Collapsing across the Frontlines, they are literally as Ddirectionless as Headless Chickens.
All that they can do is keep trying to push forward in whatever way they can, making them easy Pickings for Ukraine’s Counterattacks. What this has led to is an enormously Successful Ukrainian Campaign in the Southeast, resulting in the Liberation of Vast Swathes of Territory.
In the immediate aftermath of the Starlink Shutdown, a Ukrainian Drone Operator Revealed how Russia has been Weakened to the BBC. “The Russians… lost their ability to control the field,” Giovanni Claimed, adding, “I think they lost 50% of their capacity for offence. That's what the numbers show. Fewer assaults, fewer enemy drones, fewer everything.” Russia has gotten so Desperate to get Starlink back, that it is attempting to Bribe Collaborators in the Occupied Territories, to give them Registered Terminals they can use on the Frontlines. This is Not what One of the supposed Strongest Militaries in the World is meant to be doing. Russia simply has No Solutions.
Euromaidan Press adds that the Twin Cutoff of Starlink and Telegram, has made it much more Difficult for Russia to Surveil Ukraine properly, which is having a Massive Disruption on Attacks launched on the Ground. Russia’s Drones can still Fly, but Operators have No easy way to Communicate what those Drones see to the Infantry, Leading to Situations, like the Unit trying to Drive into Dobropillia Recklessly.
Did that unit even know where it was heading? How much information did it have? None of these questions has answers. But the outcome is that Ukraine launched a devastating counterattack without even having to use soldiers, all because Russia’s forces are being forced to attack without their important communications systems. The same outlet offers a few more details about what Russia seemed to be trying to achieve with its truck full of now-dead soldiers. The 36th Combined Arms Army had been blindly marching in the direction of Zaporizhzhia City since the Starlink cutoff.
Ukraine had been picking off the marchers in the “gray zone” leading up to the city, which is an area that neither side controls but is an absolute death trap for anybody who enters. Methodically, Ukraine had picked holes in the Russian line around Dobropillia, enabling counterattacks that panicked the Russians into sending reserve units into the fight. It is possible that the Russian soldiers in the Dobropillia truck were reservists sent to reinforce an already failed assault. They didn’t last long. Now, Russia is coming up with desperate ways to overcome its communications problems.
As for the desperate solution that Russia has hit upon to replace Starlink… it’s balloons. As Forbes contributor Vikram Mittal noted in a February 17 article, Russia has turned to the Barazh-1 system to reignite its communications. This system essentially amounts to a balloon that can carry 5G terminals into the stratosphere. It is actually a fairly smart system, especially due to the pneumatic ballast system built into it that allows the balloon to adjust its altitude as needed. However, it is also a type of balloon never intended for the purpose that Russia is now using it.
The Barazh-1 is built to carry a payload of up to 100 kilograms, or about 220 pounds, so it is clear that the balloon is meant to be an offensive weapon, not a communications platform. This is no replacement for Russia’s loss of access to Starlink. The thousands of satellites that make up the Starlink system cannot be emulated by military balloons that can currently only fly for a handful of days.
Even after proposed upgrades, the Barazh-1 will only be usable for a few weeks before the balloon comes back down. If this is Russia’s solution to the Starlink problem, it is putting itself in a position where it will only be able to create pockets of connectivity using a solution that costs money to build and requires stable logistics to get to where it needs to go before it is even launched. All of these are problems for Russia that explain Ukraine’s powerful counterattack.
But there is more. As it grapples with the collapse of communications on the frontlines, Russia is also dealing with another problem that explains why its offensives are so weak that they’re immediately countered by Ukraine. Russia’s army had flatlined on the manpower front, according to Euromaidan Press, which says that Russia’s army hasn’t grown for the past six months, even as Putin’s forces adjust their tactics.
Russia is stuck with about 711,000 soldiers. And though that seems like a lot, when Putin’s only strategy is to send meat into the grinder against Ukraine, having a stagnant army means that Russia is being forced to pull soldiers from various locations inside Ukraine and into regions that Putin considers to be Priorities.
What this does, Euromaidan Press reveals, is create weak points across the frontlines as reservists are pulled away. Ukraine’s counterattacks take advantage of these weak points, as they destroy the stragglers who aren’t being reinforced with more soldiers or equipment because those reinforcements have headed elsewhere. Ukraine is making Russia pay for this weakening of its own frontlines.
And we can see that in the numbers. According to Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine eliminated 35,000 of Russia’s soldiers in December 2025 alone. When we say “eliminated”, we mean these Russian troops were killed. The number doesn’t include the injured or those that Ukraine captured. This is 35,000 soldiers taken out of the equation permanently, and Russia has been forced to replace them.
In January, Ukraine almost repeated the feat. This time, it was around 30,000 Russian soldiers killed, with most deaths verified via Ukraine’s DELTA System. The number may be slightly lower, but it is still astronomical for a month’s worth of fighting in a 21st-century war.
If Russia is searching for a reason why it has stalled out at around the 711,000 mark in terms of manpower, losing about 65,000 soldiers in just two months is a big one. Another big reason is that Russian recruiting is in the toilet. As Russia’s casualties have surpassed 1.25 million since Putin launched his invasion, we are finally at the point that Russia is losing more soldiers monthly than it is managing to recruit.
United24 Media highlighted this in a February 19 article, revealing that the ratio of Russian losses to Ukrainian losses is so massive in some areas of the front that Russia is suffering as many as 20 to 25 casualties per Ukrainian casualty. These are unsustainable numbers, showing in Russia’s recruiting. In January, Russia lost 9,000 more troops than it managed to recruit as volunteers, which is a shortfall already leading to Putin pushing for mobilization that he knows will be extremely unpopular in Russia. What we are seeing here is that Russia’s troop stagnation is actually as good as it is going to get for Putin until he pulls the trigger on mobilization, assuming he is foolish enough to do so.
With Russia now losing more soldiers than it recruits, the 711,000 flatline figure is going to come down. If Ukraine achieves a similar ratio in February, that would put Russia’s army in Ukraine at 702,000. If the pattern continues, what was once an overwhelming and seemingly endless force gets whittled down into a vulnerable army. It is pretty simple – more dead Russian soldiers who aren’t replaced open up more opportunities for Ukraine to launch counterattacks. Each lost soldier amounts to a weaker Russia. And not even Russia’s tactical adaptations can do anything about it.
As Putin’s frontline breaks down, he is increasingly relying on smaller assault groups used to infiltrate the gray areas mentioned earlier. This approach has been successful in the sense that it allows Russia to sneak soldiers into Ukrainian territory, but far too often, those soldiers end up isolated as the backup that is supposed to reinforce the footholds they create doesn’t arrive. A strategy supposed to lead to fewer deaths in the Russian ranks clearly isn’t working, as the figures for January and December reveal. Ukraine’s intelligent use of drones is the big reason why.
As Russia tries to push Forward with its New Strategy, Ukraine’s Drones Patrol the Gray Zones, looking both for Isolated Russian Units and opportunities for Ukrainian Counterattacks. As Euromaidan Press Reports, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (USF), are more Important now than ever. Since the Summer of 2025, the USF's Number of Verified Combat Results, including Confirmed Hits, Target Destruction, and Fire Damage, has increased from 4% to 33%. About 60% of Ukraine’s Firepower comes from its Drones, and these Unmanned Murder Machines are doing a Real number on Russia’s Soldiers.
According to Zelenskyy, at least 80% of successful Strikes that Ukraine conducts against Russia’s Forces are now carried out by Drones, and this Success rate is Opening Up plenty of Avenues for Ukraine’s Counter-Attacks against Putin’s Crumbling Frontlines. We saw that in Dobropillia. All it took was One Drone to Spot the Russian Truck and another to take the Vehicle Out. Russia’s Forces scattered into a Kill Zone, and Ukraine was able to Ambush them with Artillery, leading to yet more Death. Russia’s Tactical Adaptation hasn’t worked, though that hasn’t Stopped it from Lying about its Battlefield Gains.
UAWire has the Details. It Reports on Comments made by the Ukrainian Military, which says that its Counter-Offensive Strategy is all about Ruining Russia’s Plans to push Deeper into Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia in the Summer. “Since the start of the operation, the Air Assault grouping, together with adjacent units, has restored control over more than 300 square kilometers of territory (cleared of enemy sabotage-and-reconnaissance groups) and over eight settlements,” Ukraine’s Military Claims.
Bear in mind that this isn’t the Final Result of the Counter Operation currently underway. The amount of Territory reclaimed is going to grow for as long as Russia Struggles with Communication and Manpower Issues, and neither Problem looks like it’s going to get a Real Solution anytime soon. Who knows? After Destroying the Attempted Russian Offensive in Dobropillia, Ukraine may have Opened the Door for a Deeper Push into that Sector that Helps keep Russia Away from the village it’s Targeting. The Southern Operation is clearly reaping Massive Benefits for Ukraine.
And yet, Russia is still trying to Maintain its False Aura of Dominance. Nowhere is that Clearer than in Kupiansk. Though Not Part of Ukraine’s Southern push, as the City is in the Northeastern Kharkiv Oblast, Kupiansk serves as a Reminder that Russia will Lie through its Teeth about what’s happening in Ukraine even as its Frontline Collapses around it.
Right now, Russia has a Tiny Garrison of about 40 to 50 Soldiers in that City, after having previously claimed that it had taken Kupiansk. Do you think Russia is going to Admit that it has Lost the City? Of course Not. As Euromaidan Press Reports, the Chief of the General Staff of Russia’s Army, Valery Gerasimov, is the Man who Claimed that Kupiansk had Fallen to Russia in late 2025.
Russia wanted to Assess the Reality of the Situation. So, its Western Military Grouping sent out a Commission to Determine the Success of the Kupiansk Offensive. Russia Concluded that the Front-Line Reports of Victory from 2025 Correspond to what is seen on the Battlefield. However, the Inspectors Dispatched to the City had a Secret. They were Acting under the Auspices of Gerasimov, the very Man who Propagated the Kupiansk Lie in the First Place. Here we see the Reality that Russia Refuses to face.
As Ukraine’s Relentless Counter-Attacks Break Russia’s Back, Putin’s Top Generals are Lying about what is really Happening on the Battlefield. Russia’s Army is Aimless and Failing, and Ukraine is making Putin Pay for every Mistake He is Making.
Michael H. Drucker
