Today there are a lot of important updates from the Kurakhove direction. Here, after months of intense clashes, the Russian forces approached the town of Kurakhove, launching large attacks with the purpose of entering this important stronghold. Ukrainians understand the importance of this settlement, which is why they prepared to effectively counter the planned Russian advance. After months of fighting in this area, Russian forces consolidated their positions in settlements east of Kurakhove, in particular Maskimiliyanivka and Ostrivske. These two villages, both in close proximity to Kurakhove, provided a critical staging ground that enabled Russians to prepare for the first assaults on Kurakhove itself. The Russian strategy aimed to amass a large number of tanks, BMPs, and armored transports to swiftly deploy forces to the town’s outskirts and secure a foothold. This plan anticipated significant losses for the armored units, whose primary role was to support and protect infantry in open fields en route to the town, as their effectiveness would diminish in urban combat. Once inside the settlement, Russian stormtroopers would dismount to engage in intense close-quarters fighting for control of the area. The fields surrounding Kurakhove have been heavily fortified by Ukrainian fighters, featuring extensive trench networks, anti-tank ditches, and dragon’s teeth to deter Russian advances. The sole asphalt road leading to the eastern part of the town has been further obstructed by Ukrainian defenses, making it the main target of Russian preparations for the assault. Intense Russian artillery shelling, along with airstrikes, has partially weakened and damaged the Ukrainian fortifications in the area. This included the dragon’s teeth blocking the road to the town, which had been damaged, creating a partial opening. Anticipating an imminent Russian attack and knowing that mining the area would be time-consuming, the Ukrainians drove an old tank to seal the gap in the line of damaged dragon’s teeth, keeping the road impassable for Russian forces. Russian drone operators spotted this and, in response, dispatched a tank crew on motorcycles to capture the abandoned Ukrainian tank. The Russian tank crew managed to start the vehicle and used it to crush a couple more dragon’s teeth. However, Ukrainian fighters quickly detected the situation and struck the captured tank, forcing the Russians to abandon it and preventing further damage to their defenses. The original uncensored combat footage of these operations can be found on our Telegram channel through the link in the description. Despite this, the Russian command quickly deployed an assault formation consisting of two tanks, five BMPs, and over sixty stormtroopers divided into two platoons. Anticipating that the Russians would attempt to advance along the same road where they had previously tried to dismantle the dragon’s teeth, the Ukrainians were prepared to counter the attack. The two Russian tanks led the assault, targeting the remaining Ukrainian fortifications to clear the way for the BMPs carrying stormtroopers into Kurakhove. At the same time, the tanks aimed to draw FPV drone strikes and artillery fire onto themselves, using their thick armor to absorb the hits so the BMPs could reach their destination safely. Unfortunately for the Russians, four out of five BMPs were destroyed by drones, while the squad of stormtroopers that did reach Kurakhove found themselves pinned down in a house under constant drone surveillance. Overall, despite losing eighty percent of their stormtroopers, the Russians managed to advance along the road and enter the eastern outskirts of Kurakhove, indicating weak control of the area due to severe losses. While they established a presence, Russian forces faced significant tactical disadvantages. The road leading to the town remains their only supply route to these new positions, and the gap in the dragon’s teeth line can be further undermined through remote mining, potentially jeopardizing their hold on the area. Consequently, the surviving Russian stormtroopers in the eastern outskirts risk being cut off from supplies, which could either force them to withdraw or leave them vulnerable to destruction in a Ukrainian counterattack.