Russia's new tactics effectively shake Ukraine's defenses

The Russia-Ukraine conflict "suddenly changed" when Russia's new tactics proved effective, causing Ukraine's defense lines to shake.

In September 2025, the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield changed dramatically. Instead of using armored vehicles as a strike force as before, the Russian military (RFAF) adopted a new tactic of "special infiltration". This change in tactics immediately put enormous pressure on Ukraine's defense system.

The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian military, General Syrsky, also admitted that since this summer, the RFAF has been using elite strike teams of four to six men to attack gaps in Ukraine’s defenses. These teams are not fighting for positions, but for key points: supply lines, communication centers – anywhere that can cut off Ukraine’s supply and connectivity.

For example, in the Donbas region, small Russian units repeatedly penetrated the Ukrainian defenses, reached the weapons depots in the rear and ambushed the transport convoys. This immediately caused difficulties for the Ukrainian army (AFU) on the front line, when they ran out of ammunition and had no reinforcements; as a result, their defenses were gradually broken.

The city of Kupyansk was where this new RFAF tactic proved most effective. The Russian assault force, employing a strategy of “multiple breakthroughs and deep penetrations,” broke through Ukrainian defenses, capturing the northern half of the city’s eastern district and closing in on the important logistics center of Mirnograd.

Satellite images show Russian armored forces just a mile from Ukrainian lines; Russian tanks have also appeared in the city center. Ukrainian soldiers at the front said they were most afraid of the sound of tank artillery during the day and the flashing lights of drones at night, which kept them from sleeping.

The AFU quickly dispatched reinforcements, but were met with Russian artillery fire that blanketed the area, and Russian Orlan-10 reconnaissance drones constantly monitored from above, attacking the AFU reinforcements as soon as they appeared. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that on September 27 alone, the AFU suffered 1,340 casualties, with 12 armored vehicles and 13 artillery pieces destroyed; an alarmingly high casualty rate.

To implement the strategy of completely cutting off Kupyansk, the RFAF blocked the P07 highway, which connects Kupyansk to Kharkiv, with artillery fire. The AFU tried to transport supplies via rural roads, but were constantly hunted by Russian UAVs, which nearly destroyed the convoys. As a result, less than 30% of the supplies reached the front line.

While the ground offensive was fierce, air strikes were also continuous. The Russian Aerospace Forces launched a coordinated bombing campaign using "point and shoot" tactics, targeting Ukrainian weapons depots, logistics, power plants and radar stations.

On the Ukrainian battlefield, RFAF implemented the strategy of "distracting the east and attacking the west", "locking" the Ukrainian army into large "pots" such as Kupyansk, Pokrovsk, Kostiantynivka and soon Seversk, Lyman. But suddenly flooded into Dnipropetrovsk province, known as "the industrial heart of Ukraine".

The RFAF’s tactics are clear: they are trying to cut off the supply lines to the front lines, by blocking the transport routes to the front lines and destroying the Ukrainian supply lines. They focus on destroying the railways, roads and logistics depots behind the front lines.

Now the RFAF is holding the Dnieper River crossings in the south, attacking Kupyansk in the north and Dnipropetrovsk in the center, Zaporozhye in the south… In fact, the RFAF has surrounded the Ukrainian forces in the east of the country. Their tactical coordination is amazing.

Up to this point, the AFU's resistance was said to be very resilient, however the problem for them now was not the RFAF's offensive power, or the lack of weapons, but the lack of troops; when the conscript force (TCC) could not be mobilized. While the West continued to provide weapons, they needed people to use them.

Previously, the AFU's front lines were staffed by experienced veterans, but now they were being replaced by hastily recruited new recruits. These new recruits had barely learned how to hold a gun, let alone tactics, and their fighting spirit was steadily declining. The AFU itself had stopped talking about a "counterattack" and hoped to survive the winter.

The RFAF was also under pressure. Winter was approaching, and temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius made effective combat impossible. They had to secure victory by the end of October. To save time, the newly recruited soldiers were deployed after less than six months of training.

A captured Russian soldier testified that “a company had only a dozen men left after three days of fighting,” which suggests fierce fighting; but despite this, the RFAF continued to advance. Taking Kupyansk and Pokrovsk, all things considered, would complete Moscow’s goal of the summer-autumn campaign in 2025. (photo source: Military Review, TASS, Kyiv Post).

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