Ukraine returned Kucheriv Yar: the Russian Federation lost ground and exposed the weakness of its strategy, Forbes

The released drone footage shows about 50 Russian soldiers surrendering and Ukrainian soldiers raising the state flag over the city. The restoration of control over this settlement became an important strategic event, since Kucheriv Yar is located near Dobropill, a key transport hub of the region. The liberation of the city also boosted the morale of the Ukrainian troops and highlighted the vulnerability of the Russian army, which was unable to hold the positions it had gained.

After more than three years of active hostilities, the front line of Ukraine stretched for almost a thousand kilometers. Despite limited personnel and technical resources, the Ukrainian military maintains its defense thanks to modern technologies, primarily drones. FPV and fiber-optic drones create so-called "hit zones" in front of the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. These drones record the movement of Russian units, deliver targeted strikes or transmit the coordinates of artillery.

Thanks to this tactic, the Ukrainian military stops armored vehicles and large groups of the enemy, minimizing their own losses. Despite the loss, Russia continues to use a strategy of massive frontal attacks involving small groups of infantry. They often move on foot or on all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles, making it difficult for drones to detect them. Such units are trying to break through Ukrainian positions, but their achievements are short-lived and accompanied by heavy losses.

In August 2025, this tactic enabled Russia to temporarily occupy part of Kucher Yar. However, already in mid-August, Ukrainian troops stabilized the front, and after the arrival of reinforcements, counterattacks began, which eventually led to the complete liberation of the city. Russia's current approach is to deliberately wear down Ukrainian forces through massive attacks.

However, this method is losing effectiveness as Ukrainian drones and artillery destroy reinforcements and disrupt supply logistics. Advancing units quickly find themselves isolated, without adequate supplies of ammunition, water, and food. Over time, this leads to a drop in fighting capacity and surrender, as happened in Kucheriv Yar. Analysts predict that the release of Kuchery Yar could be the beginning of a series of similar operations.

Despite certain successes of the summer offensive, Russia is unable to consolidate its gains. Ukrainian tactics of using drones are increasingly neutralizing the superiority of Russian artillery and numbers. The use of drones remains a key factor that allows Ukraine to compensate for the lack of resources. If this technological advantage persists, Russia will continue to face limited results from its offensive actions.