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Playfra

@Playfra0

Mar 3 • 9 tweets • 7 min read • Read on X

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All along the front, the #Ukrainians 🇺🇦 are fighting the #Russians 🇷🇺 for the initiative and are conducting small tactical counterattacks, buying crucial time to reinforce defensive positions in the rear that #Russia 🇷🇺 can't afford to give #Ukraine 🇺🇦.
Stay with me in this thread while I analyze which new defensive lines were built and which reinforced, from #ChasivYar to #Zaporizhzhia.

🧵Thread🧵1/⬇️

2/🧵

Lately, #Ukraine 🇺🇦 has been launching many small counteroffensives all along the front and has been successfully repelling #Russia 🇷🇺's attacks, with February being the month of least #Russian territorial gains since summer 2024.
It is though important to correctly interpret the objectives of these small counterattacks and debunk common beliefs of an incoming big counteroffensive. The objectives are:
1. Buying time
2. Tactical position improvement
3. Questioning Russian initiative

3/🧵

As said, the crucial time bought by these localized counterattacks is being put to use by reinforcing defensive positions in the rear. Let's start analyzing this process more in-depth with #ChasivYar.

Trenches:
- No visible changes.

Anti-tank ditches:
- New line north-east of Kostyantynivka.
- Extended the two already existing lines east of the city.
- New line between the city and Ivanopillya.
- New line south-west of Kostyantynivka.

Dragon's teeth:

- New line crossing the railway at the northern exit of Chasiv Yar.
- 3 new lines at the eastern entrance of Kostyantynivka.
- Extended line at Bila Hora.
- New lines and extensions south of Kostyantynivka and Ivanopillya in correlation with the worsening of the situation in Toretsk at the start of February.

Barbed wire:

- Extended line east of Kostyantynivka.
- New lines east of Ivanopillya.

4/🧵

Moving on to the one everyone was waiting for, #Pokrovsk.

Trenches:

- New (likely Slovyanka-style) trench systems belonging to the new Prosiana line.
- Some more systems belonging to the Mezhova - Slovyanka line were dug.
- 3 new trench systems at the north-eastern entrance to Novopavlivka.
- Many new trenches along the Pokrovsk - Pavlohrad road and behind the Hryshynka river.

Anti-tank ditches:

- New ditches dug around Havrylivka belonging to the Prosiana line.
- Extended ditch south of Novopavlivka.
- New ditch at the north-eastern entrance of Novopavlivka.
- Slightly extended ditch west of Muravka.
- Significantly extended ditch north of Slovyanka.
- New ditch south-east of Andronivka.
- 3 new ditches dug along the Pokrovsk - Pavlohrad road.
- Extended existing ditches along the same road.
- New ditches behind the Hryshynka river belonging to the homonymous line.
- New ditches south of Shevchenko.
- New ditches west of Shevchenko just south of the Vodyana river.
- New small ditch north of Rodynske.
- Extended ditch east of the railway east of Rodynske.
- Extended ditch north of Myrnohrad.
- Slightly extended ditch north-east of Dobropillia.
- Significantly extended ditch south of the Bychok river.
- 2 new long ditches dug west of Kostyantynivka north of the same river.
- New ditch north-west of Kostyantynivka.
- New ditch south-west of Kostyantynivka.

Dragon's teeth:

- New very long line around Prosiana and east of Havrylivka belonging to the Prosiana line.
- New line north-east of Novopavlivka.
- New lines west and east of Muravka.
- Many new lines between Novopidhorodne and Serhiivka.
- New line north-west of Serhiivka near the Pokrovsk - Pavlohrad road.
- New lines east of Myrnohrad.
- 2 new lines north-east of Dobropillia.
- 3 new lines north of the Pokrovsk - Kostyantynivka road.

Barbed wire:

- New very long line around Prosiana belonging to the Prosiana line.
- Komar - Bahatyr line in process of completion.
- New line south of Sribne.
- New lines all around Troiitske.
- New lines west of Nadiivka/Nadezhdynka.
- New line south-east of Muravka.
- New significant line guarding the western entrance to Pokrovsk.
- New lines defending the tips of the treelines north of the Pokrovsk - Pavlohrad road.

5/🧵

And now for the Zaporizhzhia direction, which is getting more significant by the day because of the worsening situation at Velyka Novosilka.

Trenches:

- New trench system south-east of Zaporizhzhia city.
- New trench systems (likely Slovyanka-style) north-east of Uspenivka.

6/🧵

In conclusion, #Ukraine 🇺🇦's increased use of barbed wire all along the front is noticeable, with time spent without #Russian 🇷🇺 attacks often translated into reinforcement of existing frontline positions. It was also possible to observe a general speeding up of the fortification placement process, and I think the pace will continue to increase in the coming weeks and months.

7/🧵

The most active direction was by far #Pokrovsk, where #Ukrainian 🇺🇦 forces, as said, are using to the maximum extend their "free time" to reinforce positions in the rear.
As always, I really want to re-iterate that fortifications are not the only thing one should analyze when drawing one's own conclusions. Above all, command reforms are needed, and in some specific directions manpower issues are still very well present. Fortifications are complementary to a military that functions efficiently.

7/🧵

Thanks for reading this thread! I would've really liked to make it longer, but as you've seen from my posting frequency, I'm under bad time constraints because of my studies.
Still, if you liked it, please consider following me, reposting this thread to help my channel grow, joining my Telegram channel here: t.me/PlayfraOSINT and checking out my Ukraine control map here: google.com/maps/d/u/1/vie…
Have a great rest of the day/night! 🫡

8/🧵

(eng) Dear viewers, if you are currently fighting or are near the front line, it would be great if you could write to me personally and express your opinion on the situation and relevant topics. Your opinion is extremely important to me!
Telegram: @Playfra
Discord: playfra

(ру) Дорогие зрители, если вы сейчас воюете или находитесь недалеко от линии фронта, было бы здорово, если бы вы могли написать мне лично и высказать свое мнение о ситуации и соответствующих темах. Ваше мнение крайне важно для меня! Telegram: @Playfra
Discord: playfra

(укр) Дорогі глядачі, якщо ви зараз воюєте або знаходитесь недалеко від лінії фронту, було б чудово, якби ви могли написати мені особисто і висловити свою думку про ситуацію та відповідні теми. Ваша думка вкрай важлива для мене!
Telegram: @Playfra
Discord: playfra

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Playfra

@Playfra0

Jun 27

At the end of June 2025, #Russia 🇷🇺 is attempting to unify the Komar and Novopavlivka directions, but #Ukraine 🇺🇦 built a formidable defensive line to prevent this. Very soon, it will finally see utility.

Analysing the tactical-strategical situation and Ukrainian fortifications in the area, as well as predictions for future developments.

🧵Thread🧵1/⬇️

2/🧵

The problems in this directions arose in early June, when the Ukrainians left only a rearguard in Bahatyr and the Russians broke through to Komar and Fedorivka. Because of this breakthrough, the Ukrainians were forced to temporarily divert their attention there, leaving an open window for the Russians to dash further through the vast fields of the region.

And indeed, on June 9th, DeepState reported that Russians were able to fly in between Dachne and Zaporizhzhia, but were destroyed.
On June 11th, the Russians tried again, and succeeded, crossing the Vovcha river between Dachne and Novoukrainka and entering for the second time the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast'.

After this series of breakthroughs, the Russians consolidated their bridgehead to attack Zaporizhzhia, and on June 12th the battle began and lasted 11 days, ending on June 23rd, with the Russians demonstrating their flags in the center of the village.

These breakthroughs formed numerous pockets and inconvenient positions for the Ukrainians, and the Russians are also threatening to cross the Mokri Yali and Vovcha rivers to get behind Ukrainian positions in even more areas, as well as breaching the main Ukrainian defensive line in front of Ivanivka, which we will analyze soon.

3/🧵

Let's look at this breakthrough in more detail. In its western part, the Russians were only able to capture Perebudova, using the dense urban area as cover for their advancements, but are suffering losses in trying to move further west to Myrne because of Ukrainian drone operators tightly controlling the open area in between the 2 settlements.

As you can see from the photo below, the Ukrainians were able to hastily reinforce Myrne with a line of barbed wire (in light gray) east of the settlement, too, which, behind the Tonka river, further complicates Russian movement here.

Read 12 tweets

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Jun 14

🚩The Zaporizhzhia defensive device and the Surovikin line: #Russia 🇷🇺's 2023 engineering masterpiece.

An in-depth analysis on the Tokmak slice project, the defensive line's characteristics and what we can learn from it today.

🔎View it here:

🧵Thread🧵 1/⬇️google.com/maps/d/u/0/vie…

2/🧵

In 2022, after failing to quickly capitulate Ukraine, the Russians completely withdrew their forces from the north of the country, concentrating everything on the east.
In September of the same year, though, the Ukrainians found a weak spot in Russia's groupment of forces in the Kharkiv Oblast', and decided to strike with great force, collapsing the front for 100km in the famous Kharkiv counteroffensive.
After this incredible victory, the Ukrainians started planning and accumulating resources to attempt a further counteroffensive, this time in multiple sectors of the frontline.
As such, Russia almost completely switched to a defensive posture, only limiting their offensives to a couple of their most promising directions, as for example Bakhmut.

3/🧵

The Surovikin line takes its name from Russian general Sergey Surovikin, that had this line built immediately after the already discussed Ukrainian Kharkiv counteroffensive.
The Surovikin line is the most extensive set of fortifications built since the end of WW2, and it stretches for a colossal 2000km from Belarus to the Dnipro river's delta. Since September 2022, construction continued at full speed until early 2024, only then slowing down because of their renewed offensives and switch of focus from defensive to offensive. But even since then, construction has always been ongoing, with the Russians very slowly extending their fortifications and reinforcing currently existing ones.

Read 13 tweets

Playfra

@Playfra0

Jun 5

Way up North, #Russia 🇷🇺 opened a new front at #Sumy, hoping to get close enough to the city to control its supply routes and shell it, but #Ukraine 🇺🇦 is opposing fierce resistance, aided by the strong brigades and natural obstacles.

🧵Thread 🧵1/⬇️

2/🧵

After the capture of Sverdlikovo and Nikolayevo-Daryino, Kursk Oblast', already in early February 2025, Russian forces started attacking southwards across the state border towards Novenke and in the fields between Zhuravka and Basivka.
After some small initial successes, they got rapidly bogged down because of Ukrainian drone crews that were freely hunting them in the open fields and the number of capable brigades that had just retreated from the Kursk salient and regrouped around that area.

3/🧵

Seeing that they were effectively stuck, the Russians decided to do what they can do best: lengthen the front, exploiting their superior resources, and threatening with encirclement the Ukrainian forces opposing them at the original frontline.
Facing what was described as a horde of Russian infantry along this frontline, the Ukrainians had to retreat further back.
Though, this retreat was not properly conducted or orderly, and the Russians were able to exploit more than a gap to advance further than the Ukrainians expected.

Read 11 tweets

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@Playfra0

May 29

Against renewed #Russian 🇷🇺 attack efforts, #Ukraine 🇺🇦 has not been idle, and is currently building the New Donbas Line, which stretches from #Kharkiv city to #VilnePole (#Zaporizhzhia), and which is the fruit of years of drone war experience and, finally, error correction.
In some sections, it's already capable of withstanding full-force #Russian attacks.

🧵Thread🧵 1/⬇️

2/🧵

After 1.5 years of total offensive on much of Ukraine's territory, Russia is seemingly not intending to decrease the pace of their assaults, and on the contrary are renewing offensive actions on the South Donetsk, Novopavlivka, Kostyantynivka, Siversk, Lyman and Sumy.
In contrast, though, the Ukrainians have not been watching and sleeping all this time, and have brought big reinforcements in the critical Kostyantynivka direction, and, focus of this thread, have been digging a brand new Donbas Line.

3/🧵

The first parts of this line were constructed back in early March, and the Ukrainians have been building and reinforcing non-stop since then.
We trench mappers call it the New Donbas Line because it covers a massive 350 km: from Kharkiv city itself to Pechenihy east, to Shevchenkove west of Kupyansk and all the way down to Izyum, then west of Kramatorsk, Slovyansk, at Zolotyi Kolodiaz, north of Dobropillia, Slovyanka, Mezhova, Havrylivka and, finally, Vilne Pole in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

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@Playfra0

May 24

In the #Kostyantynivka direction, #Russia 🇷🇺 started serious offensive operations to flank the city from the west and breach #Ukraine🇺🇦's little number of prepared defenses there, with the help of new drone innovations.

🧵Thread🧵 1/11⬇️

2/🧵

After the Ocheretyne breakthrough in April 2024, the Russians captured many important positions and settlements around the town itself. One of these was Novooleksandrivka. After its capture, the Ukrainians succesfully halted further Russian advancements towards Vozdvyzhenka, aided by the Kazenyi Torets' and Bychok rivers, which funneled the Russians into the village, and the vast fields north of Novooleksandrivka.

3/🧵

In January 2025, though, the Russians exploited the fact that the Ukrainians had left, after a year of inactivity, only few and inexperienced units defending this sector, and moved the bulk of their reserves to counter-attack at the Kotlyne salient.

Vozvdyzhenka was taken after a couple of days, but the Skala's battalion delaying actions, that was hastily transferred there temporarily, saved the situation by directly attacking Russian accumulation inside the village and giving crucial time to the units behind to reorganize an effective defense.

Some reserves were also transferred, for example an Azov contingent at the "Kleverne" interchange of the important Pokrovsk - Kostyantynivka road, which conducted a successful counter-attack and destroyed a dangerous Russian accumulation under an overpass that was preemptively destroyed by the Ukrainians.

In the picture is where the frontline was stabilized for some time.

Read 11 tweets

Playfra

@Playfra0

May 22

In the #Lyman direction, #Russia 🇷🇺 dangerously expands its bridgehead and attacks #Torske.
#Ukraine 🇺🇦's defenses are not in the best shape here, and #Russian FPVs harass #Ukrainian logistics extremely effectively, forcing retreats.

Telegram:

🧵Thread🧵 1/10⬇️t.me/PlayfraOSINT

2/🧵

In the very last days of 2024, Russian forces were able to cross the Zherebets' River, and in early January 2025, the settlement of Ivanivka, situated on the other side of the river, was captured after a failed attempt.
A lesser-known specific about this series of attacks is the fact that the Russians exploited the dried-up reservoir, which significantly helped, and through which the main infantry attack was concentrated. The armor, instead, flew into the village through the road.

3/🧵

After taking Ivanivka, a chain reaction occurred: Russian forces moved both along tactical heights and through forests in the local gullies exclusively with infantry, and due to the disorganization and very small numbers of the Ukrainian units that they were facing were able to advance more than 10km, capturing the vital settlement of Nove.
This settlement, other than being important because of the sheer rarity of urban areas in this sector, was the key to the dominant hill system behind the Zherebets river, as visible from picture #2.
This way, the Russians will be able to threaten with encirclement the Ukrainian grouping of forces between Kopanky and Nove by simply advancing along the same height, instead of uphill.

Read 10 tweets

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