According to a report by The Kyiv Independent on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, Ukrainian forces have successfully struck several Russian command posts in occupied Donetsk Oblast, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces confirmed on Sept. 16. The operation, which took place on Sept. 8, targeted the command centers of Russia’s “Center” group of forces and the 41st Combined Arms Army, both of which are actively engaged in operations in the Pokrovsk sector.
Pokrovsk, located in eastern Ukraine, has emerged as a focal point of Russian military offensives in recent months. The Ukrainian military reported that the precision strikes resulted in casualties among Russian personnel, including members of the command staff. While the full extent of the damage has not been disclosed, Kyiv emphasized that the attacks significantly disrupted the command-and-control capabilities of Russian units in the sector.
The strikes come less than two weeks after Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov reportedly visited the headquarters of the “Center” group of forces in Donetsk Oblast on Aug. 28. Russian state media had earlier publicized his trip, noting that the minister had been briefed on operations near Pokrovsk. Ukraine’s General Staff underscored the timing of the strikes, suggesting that Russian command structures were under close scrutiny by Ukrainian intelligence.
According to the military, the coordinated operation involved missile and artillery units, the Air Force, and the Unmanned Systems Forces, working jointly with other branches of the armed forces. “These strikes against Russian military facilities significantly weaken their ability to coordinate troop movements and battlefield operations,” the General Staff said in its statement.
The attack comes amid an intensifying Ukrainian counteroffensive in Donetsk Oblast. On Sept. 15, the National Guard’s 1st Azov Corps reported that Ukrainian forces had cleared Russian troops from Pankivka, a village in the Dobropillia sector. Earlier in September, Kyiv confirmed the liberation of Novoekonomichne and Udachne, two villages near Pokrovsk.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi announced on Sept. 7 that Ukrainian forces had regained control of 26 square kilometers (10 square miles) around Pokrovsk in August, though they also ceded about 5 square kilometers (2 square miles) during the same period.