Ukraine war latest: Ukraine liberates another village in Donetsk Oblast amid ongoing Russian offensive

Key developments on Sept. 1:

• Ukraine liberates village of Novoekonomichne in Donetsk Oblast, General Staff says
• Russian front-line advances have slowed down in August, monitoring group says
• Russian forces allegedly preparing major assault toward Siversk in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine's military says
• Ukraine says it destroyed 2 Russian Mi-8 helicopters, hit tugboat in occupied Crimea, shares footage
• Zelensky announces faster air defense deliveries after deadly Russian strikes

Ukraine's 425th Regiment has liberated the village of Novoekonomichne in Donetsk Oblast and raised the national flag, the General Staff announced on Sept. 1.

Novoekonomichne, with a pre-war population of nearly 2,800 people, is located about 14 kilometers (8 miles) northwest of the embattled city of Pokrovsk.

Ukrainian assault groups spent two weeks fighting to liberate the settlement, raising the national flag in the village center on Aug. 31, according to the General Staff.

Since mid-July, the village has appeared in the "gray zone" on maps published by the DeepState monitoring group, indicating ongoing fighting. As of Aug. 31, despite the General Staff's statement, Novoekonomichne remained in the "gray zone."

Russia-Ukraine naval drone arms race could ‘usher in a new era of warfare’

After a string of devastating Ukrainian strikes that crippled much of its Black Sea Fleet, Russia is now turning to naval drones in a bid to rebuild its presence and adapt to a new phase of maritime warfare. Since unveiling the world’s first dedicated naval drone fleet in September 2022, Ukraine has advanced the use of unmanned maritime systems, successfully sinking nearly a dozen Russian vessels. Meanwhile, Russia has drawn on Ukrainian drone expertise to develop its own capabilities to regain

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

Russian front-line advances have slowed down in August, monitoring group says

The pace of Russia's advance in Ukraine slowed by 18% in August, with Russian forces occupying 464 square kilometers of territory, according to DeepState monitoring group's report.

The Sept. 1 report comes amid claims that Ukrainian forces are gradually pushing Russian troops back near the town of Dobropillia in Donetsk Oblast. Ukrainian forces liberated several nearby towns, including the village of Novomykhailivka.

According to DeepState, as of August, Russian forces occupied 19% of Ukraine’s territory, a level first reached on Oct. 3, 2022, just before Ukrainian forces liberated large parts of Kherson Oblast, including the regional center.

"The increase in occupied territory over the past two years and 11 months is virtually zero," the group said. " However, it is also true that in eastern Ukraine, we have lost roughly the same amount of land as was liberated on the right bank of Kherson Oblast during that time."

At the same time, the number of square kilometers captured does not necessarily reflect the overall direction of the war, Emil Kastehelmi, an analyst at the Finland-based Black Bird Group monitoring the war closely through open sources, told the Kyiv Independent.

"It is true that August pretty much manifested in a way how little Russia actually achieved during the summer," Kastehelmi said.

"(Russian forces) did not really achieve any larger operational goals. All that they took was mainly smaller villages and a lot of farmland. After a tactical victory, they could not expand and exploit their success into anything more significant," he added.

The analyst also suggested Russia could be regrouping for a potential new offensive this fall, with a concentration of forces observed near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast.

"However, the problem for the Russians is that they do not seem to have many new tricks up their sleeves," he said. "They can mainly continue these infantry-based attacks, but prospects for larger operational success, like an actual breakthrough, seem unlikely at the moment."

"Of course, it is possible that in September they may take 600 square kilometers instead of 460, but that does not really change the general situation (on the front line) very much," Kastehelmi added.

As Putin shakes hands with Modi, Xi, here’s the state of Russia’s allies

After three years of international isolation, Russian President Vladimir Putin is back at the forefront of the global stage. On Sept. 1 he was pictured standing shoulder to shoulder with the leaders of China and India, as Chinese President Xi Jinping opened the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin and called for a new world order. “We must continue to take a clear stand against hegemonism and power politics, and practise true multilateralism,” he said. It’s a far cry from

The Kyiv IndependentTania Myronyshena

Russian forces allegedly preparing major assault toward Siversk in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine's military says

Russia is expected to launch new assaults toward the city of Siversk in Donetsk Oblast in an effort to establish a foothold in the area, Dmytro Zaporozhets, a spokesman of the 11th Army Corps, told Suspilne on Sept. 1.

Siversk, Russia's new potential target, lies about 10 kilometers (6 miles) west of the occupied village of Verkhniokamianske in Donetsk Oblast.

According to the local military administration, the town's population has dropped twentyfold since the start of the Russian invasion. As of this summer, only around 400 residents remained.

"In the Siversk direction, the enemy will continue attempting assault operations using (heavy) equipment until the autumn rains begin. We expect another large-scale assault," Zaporozhets said.

Russian forces aim to secure a foothold near Siversk before the weather turns, allowing them to either fight for control of the city or bypass it during the winter, the spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, the number of Russian artillery strikes in the nearby Lyman direction near the Serebrianskyi Forest has risen to 200 per day, according to Zaporozhets. He said the intensified shelling north of Siversk is allowing Russian forces to advance by destroying Ukrainian positions with artillery.

"The scale of artillery shelling in this area has recently increased almost threefold. If there used to be 80-90 shelling per day, today there can be 190 or 200," the spokesperson said.

Zelensky wants a meeting. Putin wants to win

Ukraine has long pursued a negotiated end to Russia’s war well in its 12th year. But talks have repeatedly collapsed under the Kremlin’s ultimatums and maximalist demands. President Volodymyr Zelensky has been actively seeking a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin without preconditions, saying that such a move would have a chance to bring the ongoing all-out war to an end. By pursuing talks with Putin, experts say Zelensky may be trying to show that the Kremlin has no real interest i

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova

Ukraine says it destroyed 2 Russian Mi-8 helicopters, hit tugboat in occupied Crimea, shares footage

Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) has destroyed two Russian Mi-8 helicopters and a struck tugboat in occupied Crimea, the agency reported on Sept. 1.

Drones struck the Hvardiiske military air base, some 13 kilometers (around 8 miles) from Simferopol, destroying helicopters worth an estimated $20–30 million, according to HUR.

A military tugboat, believed to be a BUK-2190, was also attacked in Sevastopol Bay, where Ukrainian intelligence guided a warhead directly onto the vessel.

The Mi-8 is a Soviet-designed multi-role transport helicopter widely used by Russia for troop movement, cargo delivery, and medical evacuation, as well as armed combat missions.

The BUK-2190 tugboat supports naval operations in ports and bays. The targeted vessel was used by a Russian special naval forces unit responsible for underwater sabotage operations.

"The damage to the tugboat significantly limits the combat capabilities of the elite Russian unit," the agency said, adding that the vessel met an "unfortunate end."

Crimea, occupied by Russia since 2014, has become a frequent target of Ukrainian strikes against military infrastructure since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

Russian map behind top general hints at ambitions to seize Ukraine’s Odesa, Kharkiv

While Moscow has publicly insisted on full control of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, the map indicated possible plans extending to Odesa and Kharkiv, neither of which had been included in earlier demands.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

Zelensky announces faster air defense deliveries after deadly Russian strikes

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 1 that the delivery of additional air defense systems would be accelerated to shield Ukraine from Russian missile and drone attacks.

The announcement followed intensified Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure, including the Aug. 28 attack on Kyiv that killed 25 people.

"We are accelerating the supply of additional air defense systems to enhance protection against missiles," Zelensky wrote on X, without naming any specific agreement. "We count on the maximum efforts of Ukrainian diplomats."

Zelensky instructed National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov to coordinate with officials, regional authorities, and energy companies to procure more short- and medium-range systems and increase funding for drone manufacturers.

The president also said Ukraine is preparing a Technological Staff meeting with domestic producers of missiles, drones, and air defense systems.

"The priority is intercepting 'Shaheds,'" he wrote. "We also discussed the protection of networks and energy facilities in front-line and border communities, along with backup supply."

Shahed-type drones, mass-produced in Russia from Iranian designs, have become central to Moscow's long-range strikes. Overnight on Aug. 31, Russia struck Odesa Oblast's energy grid with the drones, leaving more than 29,000 consumers without power.

Ukraine has made countering Shaheds a core defense priority for 2025 as Russia scales up drone production.

Note from the author:

Ukraine War Latest is put together by the Kyiv Independent news desk team, who keep you informed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you value our work and want to ensure we have the resources to continue, join the Kyiv Independent community.