Confirmed advances for Ukrainian troops in Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Dnipropetrovsk regions, per ISW

Front-line situation as of September 4, 2026

According to Рубрика — Суспільство: The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based research group that documents battlefield developments, reported that Ukrainian forces made verified gains in parts of Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts over the latest reporting period. The progress took place notably east of Sloviansk, in the area of Odradne, along the Borivka axis, and west of Kotliarivka on the Novopavlivka line. Ukrainian defenders also broke up multiple Russian assault efforts, demonstrating their resilience in these sectors.

In the northern part of Kharkiv Oblast, Ukrainian troops either captured new positions or held onto their existing ones. A Ukrainian military unit turned back Russian attacks near Odradne, which appears to stay in Ukrainian hands despite earlier Russian statements claiming it had been seized. Ukrainian forces are also continuing to hit Russian military assets in the occupied portions of Kharkiv Oblast. Russian units kept up offensive pressure on the Kupiansk axis, but ISW has seen no proof of any forward movement there.

Russian soldiers carried out limited offensive actions on the Borivka axis on September 3-4 but made no headway, while Ukrainian counterattacks in the same direction gained ground. Russian military bloggers contend that the stretch between Ridkodub and Nove, southeast of Borova, remains disputed. Ukrainian troops also recently succeeded east of Sloviansk, although Russian forces attempted to capture tactical heights in that area.

Geolocated video from September 3 shows a Russian strike on Ukrainian positions in the northwestern part of Rai-Oleksandrivka. On September 4, a Russian military blogger claimed Nykonorivka, southeast of Sloviansk, had been taken, but there is no confirmation of that. Russian forces also pushed toward the Kostiantynivka-Druzhkivka line on September 3-4, yet Ukrainian units kept their positions and complicated any Russian advance toward Kostiantynivka.

Other sections of the front

Russian troops tried to attack near Pokrovsk on September 3-4 as well, but no confirmed success followed. On the Novopavlivka axis, however, Ukrainian soldiers recently moved forward, and geolocated footage from September 3 confirms advances west of Kotliarivka. Russian units attacked around Huliaipole and in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast, but their gains remain unverified.

According to DeepState data, Ukrainian forces have liberated multiple settlements, among them Zelenyi Hai, Novokhatske, Hrushivske, Tolstoi, Zirka, Yalta, Piddubne, Myrne, Voskresenka, Sichneve, Vorone, Terneve, Berezove, Stepove, Kalynivske, Pryvillia, Zlahoda, Rybne, and Krasnohirske. At the same time, Russian occupation troops were pushed back in Novopavlivka, Novoheorhiivka, Novomykolaivka, Novohryhorivka, Zaporizke, and Pryvilne. Ukrainian defenders remain actively engaged in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and continue freeing populated areas, although the vicinity of Dachne is still under occupation.

The latest ISW assessment highlights intense fighting and meaningful Ukrainian advances on several axes, underscoring both the ongoing nature of the conflict and the strength of Ukraine's forces.

Russia's attempts to break through along multiple directions have not produced the desired results, which underscores how quickly and unevenly the front line is evolving.