August 28 - September 4 live war map: Moscow ablaze, Pokrovsk front holds, new threats emerge

Kursk offensive: One month in

Nearly a month has passed since Ukraine began its offensive in the Kursk region, and it’s clear that Kyiv won't withdraw from this part of Russia anytime soon — perhaps not until the war's end.

The pace of territorial gains has slowed, with the Russians regrouping and launching effective counterattacks. Still, Ukraine's forces are advancing on multiple fronts. In the west, the Glushkovo district remains under blockade, along with the encircled town of Tetkino. Ukrainian forces are proceeding cautiously to minimize losses, leaving the trapped Russian forces with no option but death or surrender. Fierce fighting continues in Komarovka, where the front line has held for over 12 days. Ukrainian troops are also thwarting all Russian attempts to send reinforcements by destroying pontoon bridges and other crossings over the Seim River, making the eventual fall of Glushkovo inevitable.

Further north, Russian forces launched a counteroffensive in Korenevo, managing to partially unblock their troops. Fighting rages in the eastern part of the village, while Ukrainian forces push northward, bypassing Korenevo and Tolpino to sever links to Rylsk. Ukrainian troops are inching closer to the Rylsk-Kursk highway, now within 13-14 kilometers and already under fire control. Ukrainian strategy continues to involve encircling and cutting off conscripts and paratroopers from logistics, leading to ambushes on Russian reinforcements. For example, multiple Russian Marine units attempting to break through to 200 trapped Kadyrov soldiers in Zhuravli were captured. Ukrainian forces aim to capture these fighters to exchange them for Azov battalion members. This strategy is mirrored across the northern front, where Ukrainian troops have made the most progress, isolating Russian forces in Aleksandrovka, Sheptukhovka, Pogrebki, and Kireevka.

On the eastern front of the Kursk region, Russian forces are most active and have seen some success. They recaptured the village of Ulanok, about 10 km from Sudzha, along with surrounding territory. Russian attempts to attack Borki and Spalnoe to cut off Ukrainian forces further east were repelled, resulting in significant Russian casualties.

Despite the Russians reinforcing their positions by pulling brigades from Kharkiv, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia directions, they still lack the strength to halt Ukraine's advance. The Ukrainian offensive will likely continue, not just in Kursk but possibly extending to Belgorod or Bryansk until Russian forces are compelled to withdraw.

Russian forces closing in on Oskil

The situation in the Luhansk region has worsened recently, but now it’s even more precarious. Russian forces have doubled their attacks in just two weeks, going from 80 to 160. Their main focus is the Oskil River, particularly around the Senkove-Kruhlyakivka bridge. They’re advancing from the captured Pischane area, expanding their control weekly. Now, they’re less than 5 km away from Kruhlyakivka, down from over 12 km at the start of the summer. If they reach the river and cut off the bridge, logistics for a large section of the front will be severely disrupted.

Moreover, the Russians are making headway on the southern flank. Recently, they nearly captured Stelmakhivka entirely. If this offensive continues, the Ukrainian Defense Forces might have to pull back from a significant stretch of the front near Berestove to avoid being encircled.

Further south, Russian troops almost completely occupied Makiivka. Even though the 3rd Assault Brigade made gains on a nearby front last week, holding Makiivka proved impossible.

South of this, up to Toretsk, there haven’t been any territorial changes. However, intense fighting continues in the Lyman, Siversk directions and in Chasiv Yar.

Toretsk and New York hold the line

Russian troops couldn't push Ukraine’s forces out of the northern part of New York or Nelipivka, so they shifted their attack to the village center and its western outskirts, aiming to encircle the Ukrainian defenders. Simultaneously, Russian troops are pushing toward Panteleimonivka. Over the past week, they’ve gained minor ground in both areas.

In Toretsk, they continue advancing on the city’s eastern outskirts and have already infiltrated some quarters, sparking intense urban combat. Their weekly advance through the city was about 1 km. After Ukrainian defenders lost the Pivnichna mine spoil tip, the Russians expanded their hold on that area and tried to attack the nearby Artem mine spoil tip. However, the Ukrainian Defense Forces held their ground for now. But the situation is getting trickier as Russian troops, who seized the first spoil tip, are now closing in on the Artem tip from a third direction, putting the Ukrainian forces in a tight spot.

Pokrovsk front is ablaze, but Russian troops shift south

Russian attacks on the Pokrovsk front hit a new weekly high, surpassing 400 strikes, up from an average of 260 back in July. Where the Russians concentrated their forces, they made significant advances. This week, the primary assault targeted Selydove and areas to the south, pushing towards Ukrainsk and Hirnyk. Here, the Russians advanced 2 to 4 km, taking Karlivka after the Ukrainian forces, who held out for a long time, were forced to retreat when encirclement became a threat. The southern push is particularly dangerous because even if the Russians don't immediately assault Ukrainsk and Hirnyk, they could pivot east, attacking the rear of Ukrainian defenders holding the front line from Krasnohorivka to Nevelske and along the reservoir cascade to the north. It’s only 10 km from the Russians’ furthest positions to Krasnohorivka, where Ukrainian troops are holding back the invaders.

Despite Russia’s relentless efforts to push the Ukrainian Defense Forces out of Halytsynivka and the south of Dolynivka across the Vovcha River, Ukrainian troops are counterattacking, determined to hold this line along the river.

Meanwhile, in other parts of the Pokrovsk front, Russian troops hit a wall and got bogged down in battles. Specifically, after entering Selydove's eastern outskirts, they couldn't break through and didn’t even manage to occupy Marynivka, which is squeezed between the occupied Mykhailivka and Novohrodivka. Even better news: reports suggest the Ukrainian Armed Forces are counterattacking in Novohrodivka, and the situation there is fluid. The Russian offensive on Hrodivka and Vozdvyzhenka has completely stalled. All this shows that even with over 100,000 Russian troops on this small front, they can’t fight effectively on multiple fronts. Ukrainian Armed Forces, skillfully maneuvering and defending, stand a good chance of stopping the Russians before they reach Pokrovsk. If the Russians do make it there, they’ll need far more resources to take the city, and given the state of the Kursk operation, they’re running low on those.

Russian troops aim to encircle Vuhledar

The offensive on Vuhledar has intensified, with the pace nearly doubling from both the east and the south. There have even been recorded attempts at frontal assaults. On the eastern front, Russian forces have seized two more positions near Mykilske, covering 1.5 kilometers. They've also advanced close to Vodyane and are likely to begin an assault soon. Further north, Russian troops have fully captured Paraskoviivka and control three-quarters of Kostiantynivka, pushing Ukrainian defenders into the western streets of the village.

Unexpectedly, Russian forces launched an offensive from the south, capturing over 10 kilometers along the Kashlahach River within a week, including parts that were previously in the gray zone. They didn’t stop there, occupying Prechystivka and targeting Zolota Nyva, which has been defended since spring 2022. The Russians plan to cross the river and attack Vuhledar from the rear. Currently, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are holding the line on the left bank, as a Russian crossing could lead to a disaster on that flank.

Strikes on Moscow and Russian oil infrastructure

This week, Ukraine's Armed Forces launched some of the most extensive and effective strikes against Russia. In a single day, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have shot down 158 Ukrainian drones. Reports indicate strikes in the Moscow region, as well as in Lipetsk, Oryol, Bryansk, Tula, Belgorod, Ryazan, Kirov, Tver, and Voronezh.

After 16 days of fires at the oil depot in Rostov's Proletarsk, where 8-10% of Russia's fuel and lubricant reserves were stored, Ukrainian drones ignited the nearby Atlas oil depot in Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, also part of the federal reserves. Initially, three tanks caught fire, but all ten burned down before the blaze was controlled. Another oil depot was set ablaze in the Kirov region.

Following a UAV attack, the Kapotnya Moscow Oil Refinery — ranked among the top 8 in Russia — suspended operations for several months due to critical equipment failure. Additionally, Ukraine hit the Kashirskaya main district power plant in the Moscow region and the Konakovo power plant in Tver, the eighth largest in Russia. There were also explosions at the Ryazan power plant, the fifth largest in the country.

Recently, a drone attack caused chaos at Moscow-Vnukovo airport, and the power supply to Moscow’s rail system was disrupted. Russia's capital is increasingly feeling the consequences of its “special military operation.”

The maps were created using data from the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces and other verified sources. However, they are approximate and primarily reflect trends in the war zone.