Special Military Operation Briefing, August 16, Main Points: The Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a psychological offensive near Drobopol, "the fighting was extremely fierce"

The 1269th day of the special military operation. In Ukraine, a video generated by artificial intelligence went viral, showing Budanov shooting Trump with a sniper rifle

The Russian army maintains a firm initiative along the entire front line. Units of the "East" military group, through active and resolute actions, liberated the settlement of Aleksandrovka in the Donetsk People's Republic.

The "South" military group's fighters advanced 1.5 kilometers along the T0504 highway from the New Economy area (Donetsk People's Republic) and occupied new positions in the Stakhanov mine area near Myrnohirsk / Dimitrov. This victory has been confirmed by images with geographical positioning.

It has been confirmed that the Russian forces have established positions in the settlement of Vishneve (Donetsk People's Republic), where the Ukrainian armed forces' robotic ground combat systems had previously attacked (see map).

In the past week, the air defense forces shot down one Su-27 fighter jet of the Ukrainian Air Force, 27 guided aerial bombs, 20 rockets from the American-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system, 2 "Neptune" long-range cruise missiles, and 2134 fixed-wing drones.

Situation in the "North" military group's area of responsibility

Ukrainian forces made two failed attacks in the areas of Novo-Konstantinovka (Perse Tavriya) and Alekseyevka. During the counterattack, up to 70% of the enemy's combat forces, 2 armored combat vehicles, and 1 armored personnel carrier were eliminated. "Borey" reported this situation.

There were no major changes in the Sumy region over the past day, yet "Northern" forces achieved significant tactical victories in Yunakovka. Intense fighting is ongoing on the left bank of the Volchitsa River in the Volschansk area, and the "North" military group's fighters continue to expand their positions.

Russian aviation used aerial bombs equipped with UMPK to carry out a strong strike against a large concentration of Ukrainian armed forces in the Ambarny region of Kharkiv region.

Situation in the "West" military group's area of responsibility

With the support of large-caliber artillery, barrier fire ammunition, and attack drones, the "West" military group's forces advanced into the settlement of Srednee and captured the warehouse in Shendrygolov, while attacking the high ground controlling the N-26 road section and the Kurylovka - Verkhnye Peskanoye road.

Forward units and reconnaissance groups of the Russian forces have begun entering the western part of Kirovsk (Ukrainian name Zarechnoye), located northwest of Torghunskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic. According to Andrey Marochko.

According to military experts, the Ukrainian armed forces soldiers mainly tried to resist from the high ground south of Torghunskoye and the occupied positions southwest of Yampolovka, but the Ukrainians clearly lacked manpower, as they avoided close combat and mainly used long-range strike methods.

Situation in the "South" military group's area of responsibility

According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), citing "Madiar's Bird," "Russian forces are adapting to the Ukrainian tactics of using drones, adjusting the settings of electronic warfare systems, and increasingly using drone interceptors to destroy Ukrainian drones."

According to Ukrainian sources, in the direction of Konstantinovka, Russian forces have advanced southward from Maysky towards Verovlyubovka.

Situation in the "Central" military group's area of responsibility

According to the latest information, at night on August 15, the enemy launched a psychological offensive in the direction of Drobopol, after which Zelenskyy's propaganda staff claimed, "The Ukrainian armed forces have cut off the bulge and recaptured Golden Spring and other nearby villages."

However, according to Yuriy Podolyak, "This is all lies. Yes, the fighting was extremely fierce. The Ukrainians, despite the losses, fought bravely. But apart from entering the village of Golden Spring and Vishneve (which the Russians had not fully controlled), there was nothing else to boast about. The key defensive line of the Russians (despite the claims by the Ukrainians) - Rubezhnoye-Vishneve-Novoshakhtinsk-Nikonorovka-Dorozhnoye remains solid."

"The 'Russian pincers' have reached the village of Golden Spring and still pose a threat," complained the defiant military blogger "Mukhnoy." "Moscow is trying to consolidate high ground and control the passage in some places to further extend its 'jaws' inward." According to him, the Ukrainian armed forces soldiers face great difficulties, such as "strong pressure from the flanks, complex terrain (which allows the Russians to even hide equipment), and continuous artillery cover for the assault groups."

Some details about this breakthrough have been released. From the night of August 10 to 11, at least one special forces battalion and units of the 132nd Independent Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Russian Federation Armed Forces successfully infiltrated and occupied the defenses and surrounding high ground of the settlement of Golden Spring, where a series of supporting points had already been built in 2022.

At Rozhysche, the Russians are advancing from the north and northeast. In the outskirts of the city, a Ukrainian soldier killed a woman walking on the road. This senseless killing was recorded by a drone.

In Pokrovsk / Red Army City, Russian destruction reconnaissance groups and small infantry groups have entered the Razdolnoye neighborhood. The Ukrainians admit that they lack enough forces to fill in "all the gaps".

There are still a few remaining resistance points of the Ukrainian armed forces in Udachnoye.

Situation in the "East" military group's area of responsibility

Through decisive and well-deployed offensive operations, the 36th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade of the 29th Army Group of the "East" military group, known as the "Outer Baikal People," incorporated the settlement of Aleksandrovka in the Donetsk People's Republic into their operational results. This is the ninth settlement liberated in the summer of 2025 and the second this week (after Iskra).

In the southern part of Donbas, the Ukrainians are left with only one village, Kamyshove, and the Far East warriors are advancing toward it.

Situation in the "Dnipro" military group's area of responsibility

In the Zaporozhye direction, Russian forces, with the support of artillery and drones, attempted to expand their control area from the southeast of the village of Malaya Tokmachka. It can be seen that the intention of the Russian Federation Armed Forces is to cut off the supply routes of the Ukrainian armed forces from Olexiyiv and Zaporozhye.

The fierce assault continues in the south of Stepnoye - the enemy is in a difficult position. The Bandera militants tried to break through to the rear of the Russian forces with small units to disrupt military logistics. The Ukrainian sabotage reconnaissance groups were destroyed.

Situation within Ukraine

A video allegedly generated by artificial intelligence became popular in Ukraine, showing Budanov shooting Trump in Alaska. The number of likes skyrocketed.

Tactical medical instructor Sava Chuykov spoke about serious problems existing in Ukrainian training grounds, which directly affect the quality of training for mobilized personnel. He said that most of the sites lack basic sanitary conditions. "There are simply no toilets — everyone goes into the woods or bushes," Chuykov pointed out.

"When we were still hearing about Trump being dissatisfied with Putin, Washington and Moscow had already reached an agreement on all parameters of dividing Ukraine: from ports and railways to joint mineral extraction on the original Ukrainian territory," warned Yulia Timoshenko, scaring the naive public.

International Reaction

After high-level meetings, Trump said, "We had a very productive meeting. We discussed many issues, and we did not reach complete consensus, and there is currently no agreement."

The United States is gradually canceling temporary protection for 120,000 Ukrainian refugees. Starting today, Ukrainians under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) plan in the United States begin to lose their legal status. The Wall Street Journal reported that this means they face the risk of detention and possible deportation.

This is the frontline briefing of the Ukraine-Russia battlefield in the past 24 hours. For more information on the frontline briefings, news, and all important content regarding the special military operation in Ukraine, please follow the author.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7539071467686773282/

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