[47] Furthermore, weather was a substantial factor delaying the counteroffensive; during that time period, Ukraine was undergoing its rasputitsa (muddy season), making travel difficult for vehicles such as tanks.

[45] In the months before the start of the counteroffensive, Ukrainian forces engaged in "shaping operations" to test Russian defenses and weaken logistics and supply chains deep inside Russian-occupied territories.

[87][88][89] On the Zaporizhzhia front, starting on 3 June, the Ukrainian 37th Marine Brigade engaged in a slow but consistent offensive action around the frontline settlement of Novodonetske in the Donetsk Oblast.

[103] On 11 June, the ISW reported that the 19th Motor Rifle Division of the 58th Combined Arms Army alongside the Tsar's Wolves militia, and the North Ossetian units "Storm Ossetia" and "Alania" were unable to hold onto Lobkove and withdrew, leaving the village in Ukrainian hands.

[104] On 18 June, a Russian-installed official, Vladimir Rogov, announced that the village of Piatykhatky in western Zaporizhzhia had been secured by Ukrainian forces,[105] which was confirmed with geolocated footage the following day.

[137] The next day, Russian milbloggers reported accelerated Ukrainian offensive actions in eastern Ukraine, concentrated against the Novodonetske area, between Vuhledar and Velyka Novosilka in southern Donetsk Oblast.

[213] On 25 July, Ukrainian forces recaptured the tactically important heights overlooking Klishchiivka which allowed for uninterrupted artillery strikes into Bakhmut itself, as well as liberating the western half of the settlement.

[214][215][216] On 5 August, deputy defense minister Hanna Maliar described the battle as "extremely fierce", with Ukrainian forces advancing slowly but confidently against the large number of Russian troops thrown at them.

[232][233][234] Also on 18 September, Aleksandr Khodakovsky reported that Colonel Andrey Kondrashkin, commander of the 31st Guards Air Assault Brigade, which had been in charge of the overall defense of Andriivka and Klishchiivka, was killed in battle.

[236] To contain the Ukrainian advance, Russian troops had reportedly dug small trenches and deployed anti-tank hedgehogs along the railway line along Klischiivka and Andriivka's respective outskirts, which guarded the T0513 Bakhmut-Horlivka highway.

[248] On 9 August, Russian major Yuri Tomov surrendered his battalion sized unit which was in charge of the defense of the western outskirts of Kozachi Laheri to Ukrainian forces.

[260][261] On 30 July, the Chonhar railway bridge, the major rail connection from Crimea to the rest of Russian-controlled southern Ukraine, was confirmed to have been severely damaged to the point of being nonoperational by a strike from the Ukrainian Armed Force.

[124] On 24 August, HUR announced that Air Force and Navy intelligence was involved in a special operation near the towns of Mayak and Olenivka on the Tarkhankut Peninsula which saw an amphibious landing and airborne deployment of Ukrainian personnel on Crimea.

[264][265][266] On 27 August, the UK's Ministry of Defense reported that there were a series of skirmishes between Ukrainian naval personnel and Russian air force elements on and around oil platforms in the Black Sea.

[279] On 17 October, HUR reported that its Operation Dragonfly destroyed nine parked helicopters, anti-air defenses, fuel depots and ammunition dumps as well as leaving "dozens" of Russian personal dead or wounded in a series of strikes with ATACMS missiles on the Berdiansk and Luhansk airports.

[293] As of January 2025, Russia recaptured eleven out of the 14 villages captured by Ukraine in the 2023 counteroffensive: Andriivka, Blahodatne, Klishchiivka, Levadne, Makarivka, Neskuchne, Rivnopil, Robotyne, Staromaiorske, Storozheve and Urozhaine.

[300] According to Western military analyst Donald Hill, Russian production of drones and other weapons has taken a serious toll on the attacking Ukrainians, with some brigades involved in the offensives losing over 50% of their vehicles damaged or destroyed.

[305] According to claims by the Russian MoD, the Ukrainians had lost over 90,000 wounded and killed personnel, almost 600 tanks and around 1,900 armored vehicles during the counteroffensive, although the ISW considered these to be "implausible".

[313] The same month, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley warned that they expect the fight to be long and come "at a high cost.

Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official in the Zaporizhzhia region, stated Ukrainian troops managed to breach frontlines after conducting several wave attacks along with reinforcements from over 100 tanks.

[322] US General Mark Milley estimated by September 10 that Ukraine had approximately 30–45 days left to continue its counteroffensive until colder conditions and autumn rains would undermine Ukrainian mobility, particularly for military vehicles.

Notably, on October 19, researcher Jack Watling, at the British think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), concluded that "Ukraine retains certain options to make the Russian system uncomfortable, but it is very unlikely that there will be a breakthrough (...) this year".

[327] Depending on the specific goals of the offensive, victory could weaken Russia's strategic position in the war while also ensuring that Ukraine receives long-term security guarantees from the West.

[42] A major Ukrainian breakthrough in the region could "severely" threaten the viability of the land bridge, serving as the main supply route for Russian military strongholds in Crimea.

"[330] In a speech to parliament, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said that Ukraine in its summer campaign had captured "300 square kilometers" of territory, which he said was more than Russia achieved in its winter offensive.

[333] On 5 July, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, UK Chief of the Defence Staff, told parliament that Ukraine's aim was to "starve, stretch and strike" Russian defensive lines.

[54] In an interview on November 1, Ukrainian general Valerii Zaluzhnyi showed concern that the deliveries of F-16s planned for 2024 would be "less useful" because Russia already had the time to improve its air defenses, most notably its S-400 missile system.

He claimed that Western allies were overly cautious in sending their latest technologies and that weapon deliveries were ultimately being held back in an attempt to sustain Ukraine in the war, but not let it possibly win.

[348] The Ukrainian counteroffensive lacks short range, or SHORAD, air protection for its forces, making its armour vulnerable to attack helicopters, drones equipped with improvised explosive devices or loitering munitions.

[367] On 16 July, Major General Alexander Kornev, commander of the 7th Air Assault Division, was reported by his own troops to have been dismissed following his threat to withdraw his forces from the front unless new supplies were sent.