Brief report from the front, February 28, 2025
The Armed Forces of Ukraine are trying to prevent the Russian army from reaching the Dnepropetrovsk region. Report by Marat Khairullin with illustrations by Mikhail Popov.

Russian forces are advancing on the Nadezhdinka (Nadiivka)-Zaporozhye line. From Nadezhdinka, they are pushing towards Kotlyarovka, which covers both the approach to the border of the Dnepropetrovsk region and the flank of the settlement of Troitskoye.
Intense clashes continue in the Preobrazhenka area. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are putting up stubborn resistance, pulling in reserves. The enemy is making every effort to prevent our forces from reaching the Dnepropetrovsk region, as this would represent a significant failure for them, including in the media sphere.
The enemy is also resisting fiercely in the fields to the south, where our forces are advancing along the tree lines. While the AFU fiercely defends the fields, Russian units are making progress in the fortified areas of settlements along the H-15 highway, which runs from Zaporozhye to Kurakhovo. At the same time, a pocket is beginning to form again, which, as experience shows, does not bode well for the enemy.
In Andreevka, the central part of the village is being cleared. Simultaneously, our units have already reached the next settlement, Alekseevka, where fighting has broken out on the outskirts. Consolidation is underway in the tree lines near Alekseevka.
In Konstantinopol, the main clashes are taking place in the western part of the village. The Russian Armed Forces are pushing the remnants of the enemy towards Bogatyr, exerting maximum firepower on them.
The Russian army is also advancing towards the settlement of Bogatyr from the south. This settlement is a key logistical hub in this area.

In the southern part of the Donetsk direction, Russian forces have taken control of the settlements of Skudnoe, Burlatskoe, and Privolnoe. Strongholds between these villages have also been cleared of the enemy and are now under our control. This opens up operational space for advancing towards the settlements of Veseloe and Shevchenko, the latter being an important logistical hub for the AFU.

In the Zaporozhye direction, Russian troops have consolidated their position in the settlement of Pyatikhatki. The main clashes are for control of the forested area west of the village. This area serves as a natural defensive line for the enemy, allowing them to bring in reserves and conduct maneuvers. Control over it by our soldiers will reduce the threat of a flank attack and create conditions for further advancement towards the settlements of Lobkovoe and Stepovoe. This area currently provides logistics between the settlements of Kamenskoe and Orekhov.
Capturing Lobkovoe will enable access to the heights near Stepovoye. Pyatikhatki lies in a lowland between hills, making control of the heights crucial. Additionally, control over them could allow for an advance on Orekhov from the west.
Pressure on the AFU defense along the Kamenskoe-Orekhov line is also being applied in the area of the settlement of Shcherbaki, where our troops have taken control of one of the key observation posts, limiting the enemy's ability to direct artillery and conduct counter-battery fire.
Update:

🇷🇺 From the Russian Ministry of Defense report of March 1:
As a result of active offensive operations, units of the "East" group liberated the settlements of Skudnoe and Burlatskoe of the Donetsk People's Republic.
Translation Note: When Russian is written by hand, the "г" (when typed) looks like a backwards "S," and the "и" looks like our "u." Also, the typed Russian "т" looks like a western "m" when it is written by hand. Lastly, the "д" turns into something that looks like a "d" in Russian script as well.
If you have trouble viewing the maps on Substack then you can try our other resources:
With the US now seemingly unwilling to pick up the bulk of the $8 billion civil and military monthly Ukrainian wage tab, how can the regime continue to function in the manner they've been accustomed too so far?
I'm sure their priority is to pay the relatives of the deceased and crippled soldiers, NOT. Mind you their losses are only 49,000 and not the 1.2 million estimated by neutral sources.
This all unravels by summer.
Seems to me Ukraine is now in a situation that was best described by the great Ernest Hemingway.
“How did you go bankrupt?"
Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.”