Ukraine said that Russia's main attacks were concentrated near the logistics hub of Pokrovsk. The Kiev military said that there were 261 clashes with Russia in the 24 hours of February 15. This is easily the largest number recorded in 2025 and is easily double the figure of about 100 clashes per day previously reported, according to Reuters.
"Today is the most intense day of 2025 on the front line," Ukraine's DeepState military blog wrote late on February 15.
According to Ukrainian military data, the Russian army has been steadily advancing in eastern Ukraine for most of the second half of 2024, occupying each village, but the intensity of fighting has decreased in January this year.
Russian forces have seized a territory south of Pokrovsk and are now moving southwest, threatening the main supply route to the stronghold. Taking this important route could open up more attacking positions for Russia.
A military spokesman said that Ukrainian forces have retaken the village of Pishchane, about 5 km south of Pokrovsk. "Some of the organizational actions have been taken to help Ukrainians act more effectively," Viktor Trehubov, a Kiev military spokesman, told Reuters.
Ukraine has used drones to strike deep into Russia to cause damage and strengthen its overall advantage. Russia has continuing to conduct drone and missile attacks and also conducting ground attacks in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has released data on Russian bomb and missile strikes, showing that the scale of the strikes has increased over the past week.
He said Russia had launched about 1,220 aerial bombs, more than 850 drones and 40 missiles into Ukraine. The week before, Russia launched 1,206 bombs, 750 drones and 10 missiles.
In the context of fierce fighting, a NATO official predicted that Russia will increase the speed and intensity of attacks on the ground as peace negotiations to end the conflict are being strongly promoted.
"I expected a lot more strong push. I think we will see many attempts by Russia to attack," an unnamed NATO official told Reuters.
