Regrouping Finished! Ukrainians Retake the Initiative in Dnipropetrovsk! - RFU News

Today, the biggest news comes from the Dnipropetrovsk direction.

Here, with the Ukrainian brigades reorganized, they're immediately turning the tide and defeating the Russians in the field, showing the difference one good commander can make. In turn, Russians have abandoned all hope of a successful attack and are forced to move around, but the Ukrainian soldiers had one last trick up their sleeve.

The turning point came with the reform in Ukrainian 141st brigade, as after a period of poor performance and degraded command practices, the brigade was reshaped under Shevchuk, who removed Soviet-style military thinking and rebuilt unit culture around modern combined-arms practices. The change is evident in tighter small-unit coordination, clearer fire-control procedures, and a restored emphasis on discipline and logistics. That cultural shift has directly translated into faster decision cycles on all levels by giving non-commissioned officers increased agency, more reliable liaison with artillery and drones, and an ability to conduct sustained clearing operations rather than a failing defense.

As a result, the 141st has expanded its counteroffensive effort northward, mounting systematic clearing and interdiction missions that extend into Novoselivka and surrounding gray zones. First, reconnaissance drones swept the target area and picket out a small Russian patrol moving along the tree line, their positions and routes immediately passed to forward observers. Using those coordinates, Bohdana self-propelled guns targeted these locations and fired precise tube-artillery rounds that bracketed and suppressed the enemy positions. As the gunners finished, Ukrainian infantry moved in to clear all the Russian soldiers that remained, with calm, purpose, and high levels of aggression. They moved through the houses, cleared rooms and streets, and secured prisoners, turning the sequence from detection to destruction to clearance in a single, well-timed operation.

Due to the sudden intensity and effectiveness of the Ukrainian counterattacks, Russians commanders decided to shift their offensive focus away from the 141st. To maintain momentum, small recon groups were sent to probe Ukrainian defenses, of which only the group moving to Oleksiivka survived long enough to make contact. However, as the recon group was small and without staying power, they were quickly killed by Ukrainians who had holed up inside the settlement. Nonetheless, Russian commanders decided that shifting their focus to Oleksiivka would still be better than engaging the 141st directly, as it would completely stall their advance. Moving multiple launch rocket systems into position, they started hammering Oleksiivka in preparation for further assaults.

However, the goal of the Ukrainian counterattacks had succeeded, as breaking the Russian momentum toward Velykomykhailivka had bought time for Ukrainian drone units to establish persistent overwatch and deeper interdiction coverage. Footage from Novoselivka shows FPV teams providing direct fire support for advancing Ukrainian squads, marking moving targets, and striking short-range infantry groups as they try to push in. Later clips show the same FPV crews intercepting and striking Russian attempts to bypass the brigade, including strikes on small groups that tried to use Oleksiivka and adjacent tracks, repeatedly stopping Russian bypass attempts before Ukrainian artillery or infantry even had to intervene.

Going around the 141st lengthens Russian supply routes and forces convoys onto main roads, and with the mud season beginning, those longer, exposed roads will be the only practical routes they can take. These open and exposed roads will be prime targets for the now set in Ukrainian drone operators to target, turning them into roads of death. Even as Russian infantry attempts to move through tree lines, which traditionally have less mud due to the roots holding the ground together better, these will be the only paths forward, and in turn will be heavily shelled and targeted by Ukrainian drone and artillery units as well.

Overall, the 141st’s reorganization under Shevchuk has produced a tactical shock that already shows operational consequences as Russian units are avoiding direct engagement them. While going around might spare Russian forces fighting the 141st, they will also have longer, and fewer safe routes to take, and moving troops or supplies will be even more exposed to drones. At last, the Ukrainian counterattacks came right in the nick of time, as with the weather already turning, and the mud fields starting to form, ensuring that their drones can maintain continuous operations will be crucial in maximally exploiting the seasonal terrain.