Biletskyi said the Third Corps deceived Russian forces into believing the main Ukrainian thrust would come toward Shandryholove and Zelena Dolyna, drawing Russian reserves into counterattacks there while Ukraine struck toward Nove.

“This led them to senselessly burn through their reserves in counterattacks in that very sector. The Russians missed the real strike," Biletskyi added.

According to Bielieskov, the result undermines Russia's theory of victory, which he said "hinged precisely on attempts to turn local advances in the Donetsk region into strategic successes." He added: "The goal was to create the impression Russia would inevitably capture the Donetsk region, thereby raising the question: 'What is the point of the West helping Ukraine, or of Ukraine clinging to the region?'"

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pointed to the broader battlefield picture on Sunday. "Overall, this week, across all sectors of active combat operations on the front, our units neutralized 10,660 Russian troops killed and wounded," he said. "Every such week on the front that becomes ours — Ukrainian — in terms of the overall situation prevents Russia from mounting greater offensive activity against Ukraine."

The operation also sends a signal to the Trump administration, which has revived its efforts to end the war by turning to its special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. “Even U.S. negotiators — such as Kushner, who are not exactly known for being sympathetic to [Ukraine’s] cause — pointed out to Putin that his promise to rapidly occupy the Donetsk region was not materializing,” Bielieskov said.

Although Ukrainian gains in the area have been independently documented by open-source battlefield monitors including DeepState, the Kremlin insisted it hasn't suffered any setback.