Russian forces have conducted repeated assaults near Dovha Balka, a settlement in the Kramatorsk district of Donetsk oblast on the Kostyantynivka axis, as part of broader efforts to advance toward key Ukrainian-held cities. Ukrainian defenders repelled multiple attacks in the sector through late September 2026, according to General Staff reports. Ukraine’s Operation Vivaldi counteroffensive has regained over 100 square kilometers in northern Donbas areas since mid-September, shifting local momentum and complicating Russian consolidation. Trader assessments of capture by a given date hinge on the pace of Russian infantry and artillery pressure versus Ukrainian defensive reinforcements and any extension of recent counteroffensive gains.