208 combat clashes reported on Ukrainian front; Russia off track to meet Donetsk deadline, says ISW
Ukraine's General Staff reported 208 combat clashes on 13 September, with the heaviest fighting concentrated on the Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka axes in Donetsk Oblast. Russia carried out 90 airstrikes using 286 guided bombs and deployed 11,727 kamikaze drones during the day. Analysis from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says Russia is not on track to capture the remainder of Donetsk Oblast by its end-2026 deadline, despite a new target reportedly set by the Kremlin.
Key points
- 208 combat clashes recorded along the front on 13 September
- 46 of those clashes took place on the Pokrovsk (26) and Kostiantynivka (20) axes in Donetsk Oblast
- Russia carried out 90 airstrikes, dropping 286 guided aerial bombs, and used 11,727 kamikaze drones in a single day
- Russian forces fired 2,872 shelling attacks on Ukrainian positions and settlements, including 45 with multiple rocket launcher systems
- Fighting also continued on the Pivdenno-Slobozhansky, Kupiansk, Lyman, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Oleksandrivsk, Huliaipole and Orikhiv axes
- Deputy Head of the Office of the President Pavlo Palisa said on 7 September that Moscow set an end-2026 deadline for full occupation of Donetsk Oblast, with Russia's military asking to shift it to 31 March 2027
- ISW reported on 6 September that Russia is not meeting that goal and, at current rates, would need until 2 October 2032 to capture the remaining 19% of Donetsk Oblast
Why it matters
The Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka axes remain the focal point of Russian offensive operations, accounting for 46 of the day's 208 clashes. Despite sustained high-tempo long-range fires — nearly 12,000 kamikaze drones and 286 guided bombs in a single day — Russia's stated end-2026 deadline to fully seize Donetsk Oblast appears increasingly unrealistic, suggesting internal friction between Moscow's political and military timelines and signalling that grinding attritional pressure, rather than rapid breakthrough, is the current Russian strategy.
What happened
Ukraine's General Staff reported that 208 combat clashes occurred along the front during the day of 13 September, the 1,664th day of Russia's full-scale armed aggression. The heaviest fighting was recorded on the Pokrovsk axis, where Russia launched 26 attacks toward Dobropillia, Myrne, Serhiivka and the areas of Dorozhnie, Shevchenko, Udachne and Novomykolaivka, and on the Kostiantynivka axis, where 20 attacks were recorded near Kostiantynivka, Dovha Balka, Rusyn Yar, Toretske, Kucherov Yar and toward Mykolaipillia. Together these two axes accounted for 46 clashes. Fighting also continued on the Pivdenno-Slobozhansky, Kupiansk, Lyman, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Oleksandrivsk, Huliaipole and Orikhiv axes. On the Pivnichno-Slobozhansky and Kursk axes, no Russian assault actions were recorded; on the Volyn, Polissia and Prydniprovske axes, no signs of Russian offensive grouping formation were detected. Russian forces carried out 90 airstrikes, dropping 286 guided aerial bombs, used 11,727 kamikaze drones and conducted 2,872 shelling attacks, including 45 with multiple rocket launcher systems. Ukrainian aviation, missile forces and artillery struck two areas of Russian troop concentration, six command posts and UAV launch points, five artillery systems and positions, and one other important target. Russian shelling and airstrikes hit settlements across Sumy Oblast — including Sopych, Koreniok, Vilna Sloboda, Tovstodubove and others — and Chernihiv Oblast, including Kliusy, Mykhalchyna Sloboda, Leonivka and Buchky; Tovstodubove, Esman and Stetskivka came under airstrikes.
Background
On 7 September, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Pavlo Palisa said that Russia's political leadership has set a new deadline to fully occupy Donetsk Oblast by the end of 2026, while Russia's military is asking to push the target to 31 March 2027; the Russian side has not commented. In a 6 September assessment, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote that Russia is not achieving its priority combat objective of capturing the rest of Donetsk Oblast by end-2026, noting that since February 2022 President Putin has set at least 15 such deadlines, none of which Russian forces have met. ISW estimated that, at current rates of advance, Russian forces would need until 2 October 2032 to capture the remaining 19% of Donetsk Oblast. Radio Liberty's Russian service reported that the pace of Russian advance in Ukraine has sharply declined since the beginning of 2026 while casualty scales have been preserved, with Russian forces estimated to lose 290 killed and wounded per square kilometre of Ukrainian territory — 3.5 times more than in 2025.