"Gerasimov Issued An Unexpected Order"

• 3.11.2026, 9:04

Are the Russians switching to a defensive posture in Donbas?

The Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov ordered Russian troops to halt their offensive in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast and switch to a defensive posture. This was reported on the social network X by blogger Mikhail Rogoz.

According to him, the fall offensive in the Donbas was halted due to fuel shortages on Russian territory. The fuel stockpiled by the army for the offensive in the Donetsk region will be sent to Moscow, where shortages have worsened again due to renewed Ukrainian Armed Forces strikes on Russian oil refineries. The Kremlin made this decision immediately after the strike on the Kapotna oil refinery.

Rogoz believes that Gerasimov’s order signifies the Russian army’s shift to a defensive posture in the Donetsk region. At the same time, in his opinion, localized attacks will continue so that the Russian General Staff can report the “capture” of new territories.

The blogger emphasized that Russian troops have once again failed to carry out Vladimir Putin’s order to capture the entire Donetsk region by the end of 2026, and, as he believes, will not be able to do so in 2027 either.

The situation for the Russian army in Donbas is worst in the area around Slavyansk and Kramatorsk. In addition, the enemy is bogged down in urban combat for Konstantinovka.