---
title: "AFU Achieve New Successes in Donbas and Zaporizhzhia Region, - ISW"
description: "Ukraine's Defense Forces have disrupted the Russian army's offensive and improved positions in Donbas and Zaporizhzhia, ISW reports."
date: 2026-10-07T06:52:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/afu-achieve-new-successes-donbas-zaporizhzhia-isw
tags: [ukraine-war, isw, donbas, zaporizhzhia, counteroffensive]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# AFU Achieve New Successes in Donbas and Zaporizhzhia Region, - ISW

![AFU soldiers in positions in the Donetsk region](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/07/vsu-dobilis-uspehov-na-donbasse-i-v-zaporozhskoy-oblasti-isw/vsu-dobilis-uspehov-na-donbasse-i-v-zaporozhskoy-oblasti-isw-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- AFU improved tactical positions in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
- The Russian Western Group of Forces suffered massive losses in the Lyman direction.
- Reorganization of the AFU command contributed to the expansion of the counterattack zone.

The Defense Forces of Ukraine over the past day have demonstrated high efficiency by disrupting large-scale offensive plans of the Russian army and improving their own tactical positions in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. According to the analytical report of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrainian units are conducting successful counteroffensive operations, exerting powerful pressure on the enemy in key sectors of the front.

### Operational Situation in the Lyman and Borova Directions

Analysts pay special attention to the successes of Ukrainian troops north and northeast of Lyman as part of the ongoing strategic operation. These maneuvers have a direct destabilizing effect on the Borova direction. According to incoming reports, the Russian Western Group of Forces is suffering colossal losses: over the past six months, this sector of the front lost over 1,000 servicemen weekly due to systematic Ukrainian counterattacks, and about 8,000 soldiers have already left the responsibility zone due to exhaustion.

### Contradictory Data

While independent analysts and geolocation footage record the retention and advancement of Ukrainian positions in the areas of Novoselivka, Novoandriivka, and Rai-Oleksandrivka, Russian military correspondents and milbloggers are spreading opposite statements. The parties differ in their assessments of control over settlements: while Russian propaganda claims successful mop-up operations and the destruction of Ukrainian groups, confirmed video materials indicate that AFU forces maintain control over disputed territories and are expanding the counterattack zone in the Kostiantynivka direction.

### Expansion of the Counterattack Zone and Consequences of Reorganization

Experts associate the activation of Ukrainian forces in the Kostiantynivka direction, particularly in the area of Rusyn Yar, with the recent successful reorganization of the military command system in the Donetsk region. In parallel, in the west of the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukrainian warriors continue to hold strategic lines and advance despite fierce assaults and attempts by the Russian army to strike their positions.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [ВСУ добились новых успехов на Донбассе и в Запорожской области, - ISW](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/zsu-mayut-novi-uspihi-donbasi-ta-zaporizhzhi-1791353189.html) - Основной источник отчета ISW и сводки о боевых действиях.
- [Контратака ВСУ под Лиманом: российские "военкоры" заговорили об отходе войск и «красивых ...](https://ru.euronews.com/2026/09/11/war-in-ukraine-counteroffensive-liman) - Дополнительный контекст о потерях и отходе войск РФ на Лиманском направлении.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What successes did ISW record for the AFU?
**A:** Ukrainian forces improved positions in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions and advanced during counteroffensive operations.

### Q: What is the situation in the Lyman direction?
**A:** The AFU are carrying out successful counterattacks, causing the Russian group to suffer heavy weekly losses and retreat.