According to a new assessment by the Institute for the Study of War, Russian forces are continuing to fortify and strengthen positions in Zaporizhzhya and Kherson Oblasts in anticipation of Ukrainian counter offensives.
Geolocated social media footage from July 25 shows that Wagner Group Private Military Company mercenaries have advanced into Novoluhanske. Russian and Ukrainian sources noted that Russian forces are taking control of the territory of the Vuhledar Power Plant on the northern edge of Novoluhanske, likely as a result of a controlled Ukrainian withdrawal from the area.
Russian forces made marginal territorial gains south of Bakhmut on July 25, but are largely suffering from the same basic limitations that prevented them from rapidly gaining substantial ground during offensive operations in Luhansk Oblast.
