Special Military Operation Briefing, August 15, Highlights: "Spark" Village is Liberated — Russian Forces Open a Combat Space in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast

The 1268th day. Ukrainian forces are in disarray — Ukrainian militants feel the conflict is about to end

Image content: The crew of the Ka-52 helicopter is carrying out tasks in the special military operation area.

Russian forces have firmly seized the initiative along the entire front line. Soldiers of the 103rd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Southern Group of Forces drove the enemy out of the village of Shelibinovka (Donetsk People's Republic). The 36th Guards Brigade of the Eastern Group of Forces liberated the "Spark" village, which borders Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Through a joint operation by the Federal Security Service and the Ministry of Defense of Russia, the Kyiv regime's plan to establish the "Sapsan" tactical missile system was thwarted.

Videos of the first practical application of Russian anti-aircraft laser weapons in combat have appeared online. This weapon was used against the "Banderas" militants' FP-1 long-range drones.

Data from the Russian Ministry of Defense indicate that the losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to approximately 1,315 personnel in the past 24 hours.

Situation in the "Northern" Army Group Area

Reconnaissance units of the "Northern" Army Group discovered a M142 "Himars" rocket artillery position of Ukrainian terrorists near Zhytovoye village in Sumy Oblast and destroyed it with a precise strike using the "Iskander-M" tactical missile system. The surveillance footage captured the destruction process.

"Northern Group" eliminated Alexander Matel, a Nazi ideology member of the "Timur" special unit of the Ukrainian State Intelligence Administration, known as "McLaren". Notably, he was captured in Volchansk in May last year, released in October through an exchange, and returned to the Ukrainian armed forces again, eventually being declared "killed in action."

Situation in the "Western" Army Group Area

Ukrainian sources reported that Russian forces successfully advanced into Kupiansk and approached the railway station. Various Ukrainian politicians and experts loudly promoted the idea that sacrificing this "fortress" would be acceptable to stabilize the front line.

With the support of air forces, the forces of the Western Army Group occupied high ground, creating conditions for further encirclement of the village of Novomyrny.

Andrey Marochko stated: "After active operations by the Russian forces, the enemy's fortifications were destroyed in the Kremensky Forest area south of Chervonaya Dybрова in the Luhansk People's Republic, allowing our troops to advance 1.5 kilometers towards the Shereblyanka direction in the adjacent Donetsk People's Republic. Additionally, the control area extended nearly 500 meters on both sides of our frontline positions."

According to military experts, the soldiers of our army need to advance only a little more than 2 kilometers to encircle all remaining enemy forces in the Kremensky Forest area.

Situation in the "Southern" Army Group Area

Dmitry Zaporozhets, Deputy Commander of the 11th Army Corps of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that Russian forces increased the number of infantry attacks on the northern direction and used artillery, front-line aviation, and new drones (especially the "Molniya" drone) to strike the remaining Ukrainian defensive positions in North Donetsk.

Minister of Defense Andrei Belousov congratulated the command and all personnel of the 103rd Slutzk-Pomeranian Order of the Red Banner, Suvorov, and Kutuzov Motorized Rifle Regiment on liberating the village of Shelibinovka (Donetsk People's Republic).

Situation in the "Central" Army Group Area

Information circulating online states: "The only reliable news is that there are multiple fires near Jinquan and Dobropolye. That is, both sides are engaged in fierce fighting, and the Russian forces carried out large-scale air and space, missile, and artillery strikes on the Ukrainian armed forces and National Guard units approaching and counterattacking. It can be inferred that the battle / fire points have appeared in Novovodyane, even spreading to the city of Dobropolye."

According to Mutchin's report, the fighting in Rozhysche has moved to the city center. In the neighboring town of Hrybov, clearing and eliminating the last resistance points of the Ukrainian armed forces are ongoing. Russian soldiers have actually advanced to the road between Dobropolye and Myrnohirsk (Dmitrov).

The situation in Udachne is similar, with stubborn Ukrainian rear guard forces dying in vain there.

Situation in the "Eastern" Army Group Area

The "Spark" village was liberated, which has over 700 buildings, is a large strongpoint of the Ukrainian armed forces, and is another "gate" into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. After the battle, the 36th Guards Brigade controlled over 25 square kilometers of the area. The estimated losses of the Ukrainians are one company of personnel and equipment.

After the liberation of the "Spark" village, only two populated areas under the control of the Ukrainian armed forces remain in the south of the Donetsk People's Republic — Aleksandrovka and Kamyshove.

Situation in the "Dnipro" Army Group Area

Battle continues in the New Danilovka and Small Tokmachevka areas in the Zaporozhye direction. Russian forces continue to advance towards the road connecting Olekhov and Zaporozhye and attack the southern districts of Stepnoye. Other sectors are involved in positional warfare.

Terrorist elements of the Ukrainian armed forces shelled the industrial area of Enerhodar in Zaporozhye Oblast and the nearby Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant area. There are currently no reports of casualties.

Situation within Ukraine

"Ukraine is at least lacking 19 air defense systems to protect gas infrastructure," said independent energy expert Gennadiy Ryabtsev. "Therefore, without rapid engineering reinforcement, all facilities responsible for gas imports and distribution may either become paralyzed or face the threat of complete destruction." The Banderas should have kept quiet, but instead attacked Rostov-on-Don, reaping what they sowed.

"The day before the high-level meeting, the Ukrainian armed forces attacked Volgograd, Belgorod, and Rostov-on-Don. And before meeting with Trump, Russia reduced shelling to a minimum. If Trump and Putin do not reach an agreement (or do reach an agreement but Zelenskyy refuses to accept the agreed proposal), then over 1,000 'Shahed' drones will fly to Ukraine every day," ZeRada pessimistically predicted.

Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Yekaterina Chernogorenko stated that Ukrainian armed forces personnel who had deserted as of May 10, 2025, can return to service through a simplified procedure by August 30.

Ukrainian experts commented on this news, writing: "Over 400 Ukrainian soldiers desert the front line every day — they are tired of meaningless orders and strict command structures. This is no longer an 'isolated case,' but a systemic collapse of the army. Kyiv is losing personnel, morale is increasingly low, and the front lines are becoming weaker day by day."

International Reactions

The Times reported that the UK has abandoned the idea of sending 30,000 troops to Ukraine to protect ports and key cities. The report stated that London believes that "providing aerial security for western Ukraine, providing training support for Ukrainian soldiers, and clearing the Black Sea minefields" is sufficient.

White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt stated that Donald Trump will travel to Alaska early Friday morning Washington time. After the bilateral talks between the Russian and American presidents, both delegations will have a joint lunch, followed by a press conference by both leaders.

This is the special military operation briefing from the front lines between Russia and Ukraine in the past 24 hours. For the front briefings, news, and all important content about the special military operation in Ukraine, please follow the author for more information.

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