[8] During the battle of Donbas, Russian forces advanced forwards from the 2014 line of contact towards the city of Lyman, as part of a wider attempt to encircle a salient containing more than 40,000 Ukrainian soldiers.

[10] During the early morning of 5 May, the Russian army, following artillery bombardment, tried to make a crossing of the river at Dronivka, but were stopped by Ukrainian troops and tanks.

Two Ukrainian tanks of the 30th Mechanized Brigade engaged at least four Russian BMPs, two boats and two infantry squads at a distance of 1,200 metres (1,300 yards),[11] stopping the advance.

Thousands of personnel, tanks, and other military vehicles prepared to cross over to the west bank of the river as part of their wider advance westward towards Lyman.

[12] On the same day, the Ukrainian 17th Tank Brigade sent a reconnaissance detachment to the west bank of the river to observe Russian progress in the area.

[3] According to Serhiy Haidai, the Governor of Luhansk Oblast, during the battle, Ukrainians destroyed Russian tanks, armoured vehicles, bridging equipment, helicopters and speed boats.

[2][22] The ISW stated that these direct criticism from pro-Russian bloggers could be significant in that it may fuel doubts of the Russian people's faith in their military leaders and of the war.

These analysts speculate that the Russian commanders may have rushed the operation in a desperate attempt to make any sort of military progress.

An intelligence report by the UK defence ministry said the encirclement of Lysychansk from the south (the Popasna direction) removed the need for a major river crossing by the Russians in the sector.

[citation needed] Later, Bilohorivka was captured by Russia after the fall of Lysychansk, but Ukraine launched a counterattack aimed on retaking it on 17 July.