Dobropillia offensive

Dobropillia offensive
	Part of the Pokrovsk offensive of the Russo-Ukrainian war
	; Aftermath of the offensive, with the upper blue section denoting the territory initially seized by Russia before being recaptured by Ukraine
Date	11 August 2025 – 29 November 2025; (3 months, 2 weeks and 4 days)
Location	Settlements east and southeast of Dobropillia in Pokrovsk Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine
Result	Status quo ante bellum (initial Russian gains reversed)
Belligerents
Russia	Ukraine
Units involved
Russian Armed Forces Russian Ground Forces 51st Guards Combined Arms Army 1st Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade; 5th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade; 56th Separate Special Purpose Battalion; 110th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade; 132nd Guards Motor Rifle Brigade; ; 8th Guards Combined Arms Army 57th Spetsnaz Company; ; 68th Guards Army Corps; ; Smuglyanka Detachment; ;	Armed Forces of Ukraine National Guard of Ukraine 1st Azov Corps; Rubizh Brigade; ; Ukrainian Ground Forces 1st Assault Battalion; 93rd Mechanized Brigade; ; ;
Strength
200–300; (initial infiltration); 100,000–110,000; (on the Pokrovsk front);	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Per Ukraine: 12,492 killed, 8,346 wounded and 185 captured; Equipment losses: 93 tanks, 259 AFVs and 314 artillery pieces	Unknown

The Dobropillia offensive was a military operation during the Russo-Ukrainian war by the Russian Armed Forces, with the primary goal of capturing the strategic city of Dobropillia in western Donetsk Oblast. The offensive lasted from 11 August to 29 November 2025, ending in status quo ante bellum with initial Russian gains reversed and all involved settlements returning to Ukrainian control.

The offensive separated itself from the Pokrovsk offensive to the south on 11 August 2025 after a major Russian ground assault was launched northeast of Rodynske. The first day saw Russian forces capture a 15 km (9.3 mi) strip of land around 6 km (3.7 mi) wide including three villages, which additionally severed the highway connecting Dobropillia to the city of Kramatorsk. Russian forces' tactics including small units of Russian forces penetrating the frontline before larger assaults, Russian numerical advantages, and Ukrainian infantry shortages at this part of the frontline were credited with making the Russian offensive initially successful. The deployment of Ukrainian elite troops including the 1st Azov Corps and other Ukrainian reserves, however, saw Russian forces ultimately pushed back from all of their initially captured positions from the start of the offensive, with the notable encirclement and mass surrender of over fifty Russians in the village of Kucheriv Yar taking place near the end of the offensive. While Russia never denounced its ambitions of capturing Dobropillia, the loss of its territory towards the city gained in August, alongside a statement by Ukrainian Lieutenant General Oleh Apostol on 29 November 2025, marked the end of the offensive.

Diplomatically, a number of media outlets additionally stated the offensive was likely launched to place Russia at a better position in peace negotiations for the then-upcoming 2025 Russia–United States Summit. After Ukrainian counterattacks produced results, however, the narrative changed and the offensive's lack of success was used to raise morale by President Zelenskyy.