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Unit Observer

@WarUnitObserver

Jan 31

The Battle of Vovchans'k - how the destroyed town fell after almost 2 Years.

The renewed 🇷🇺Russian offensive in northern Kharkiv oblast began in May 2024.
Only at the end of 2025 did the heavily shelled border town of Vovchans'k become entirely occupied.

Most units in this area have been facing each other for a long time, with the 🇺🇦57th Motorized Brigade being in charge of the city's defense in opposition to the 🇷🇺69th Motor Rifle Division, 128th Motor Rifle Brigade, and various attached regiments.

Operational command falls under the Ukrainian 🇺🇦16th Army Corps and the Russian 🇷🇺6th Combined Arms Army.

In late 2025, fighting in the city’s ruins had stagnated and mostly saw small 🇷🇺 infantry elements suffering heavy attrition from 🇺🇦 drone strikes.
Russian mechanized assaults, largely conducted on MTLBs in the past, had ceased by the summer.

Interestingly, datapoints for the 🇺🇦72nd Mechanized Brigade, deployed west of the city in the late summer, became scarce in October.
While we could not entirely confirm this so far, it seems likely that the brigade rotated out for recovery or moved to another front.

The 🇺🇦1st Battalion of the 58th Motorized Brigade deployed near Synel'nykove in the 72nd Brigade’s previous sector.
Here, small territorial losses were recorded in October and November - as can be expected when replacing a brigade with (possibly) a single battalion.
The 🇷🇺82nd Motor Rifle Regiment led the charge, with predictably high casualty rates.

The 🇺🇦1st Assault Battalion “Black Swan” of the 225th Regiment deployed elements into the city itself in November and December in the size of at least two assault groups (platoon/company-echelon).
This was likely in response to advances through the urban center by the 🇷🇺1009th Regiment and 128th Brigade.

The 🇺🇦57th Motorized Brigade's manpower state can be assumed to be mediocre at best, given the entire brigade has never gone on recovery since the spring of 2024 (battalion rotations do happen regularly, however).

With the intensification of small scale assault actions in December, 🇷🇺Russian forces succeeded in pushing 🇺🇦Ukrainian units south of the city itself, even reaching the village of Vil'cha. It remains unclear whether they managed to consolidate these gains.

On the western flank of the salient, near Hrafs'ke, the 🇺🇦48th Reconnaissance Battalion (formerly part of the 72nd Brigade) is deployed as part of the 16th Army Corps.
Other elements include the 🇺🇦5th Battalion of the 120th TDF Brigade, along with the aforementioned battalion of the 58th Brigade.
Command and control above the battalion level in this sector is unclear at the moment, though it is possible that these units are all operating under the 🇺🇦57th Motorized Brigade.
🇷🇺Russian pressure here seems to be exclusively focused on the village of Lyman.

The eastern flank of the city has elements of the 🇺🇦113th TDF Brigade and 🇺🇦159th Mechanized Brigade (though some of its battalions are detached elsewhere in Kharkiv oblast).
The 🇷🇺127th and (possibly) 126th Motor Rifle Regiments, belonging to the 71st Division, transferred to this area from Chasiv Yar at the end of 2025 - an intensification of assaults in this direction come spring would not be surprising.

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Unit Observer

@WarUnitObserver

Dec 30, 2025

Dobropillya direction: 🇺🇦12th Azov Brigade finally joins its parent Corps on the frontline.

Following the 🇷🇺Russian breakthrough in early August, the 🇺🇦National Guards’ 1st Azov Corps deployed its headquarters in the Dobropillya direction and led the clearing of several settlements.
The 12th Azov Brigade, however, had remained in its sector south of Kostyantynivka after months of battles in Toretsk.

Earlier today, the Brigade announced that it has transferred to the Dobropillya direction, in the 1st Corps’ area of responsibility.

This means that three of the Corps’ five organic brigades are now under its operational control, facing the 🇷🇺 51st Combined Arms Army, 20th Motorized Rifle Division and the large Naval Infantry Grouping.

In early December, the newly formed 🇺🇦20th “Lyubart” Brigade (based on the 5th Battalion of the Azov Brigade) had joined the fight in the 1st Corps’ sector, specifically north of 14th “Chervona Kalyna” Brigade, holding the town of Rodyns’ke.

The 🇺🇦4th “Rubizh” Brigade also still operates in the 1st Corps’ sector, despite belonging to the other National Guard Corps - Khartia.

Highlighted on the map are several Russian mechanized assaults that occurred in the past month, leading to minimal gains and large losses.
For example, the attacks on December 22nd & 26th may have resulted in up to 40 pieces of equipment visually confirmed as lost.

The first footage from 🇺🇦Azov Brigade was released by its UAS Battalion on Christmas Eve, showing strikes around Pankivka.
Thus, it seems the Brigade may have taken charge of the area between Dorozhnje and Shakhove, while the 🇺🇦33rd Mechanized Brigade and the attached 253rd Assault Battalion are holding the Corps’ left flank.

It is worth noting that two major rotations out of this area have taken place in the last month:
- the 🇺🇦1st Assault Regiment moved to Hulyaipole, further south
- the 🇺🇦82nd Air Assault Brigade, previously leading the defense between Shakhove and Poltavka, moved north of Pokrovsk

The Azov Brigade’s relocation is likely meant to compensate for this.
The losses sustained by recent Russian mechanized assaults indicate a successful rotation.

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Unit Observer

@WarUnitObserver

Dec 22, 2025

🇺🇦🇷🇺 ORBAT: Dnipropetrovsk–Zaporizhzhia Oblast
Ukraine continues to reinforce this direction following significant Russian advances by the Vostok Grouping.
Specifically,🇺🇦assault units that previously cleared the Russian Dobropillya Axis breakthrough are now redeploying here.

In the Pokrovs'ke direction, several battalions from the 🇺🇦 92nd Assault Brigade have redeployed from the Dobropillya Axis, with additional units joining from the rear to stabilize the situation along the Yehorivka–Vyshneve–Oleksiivka line, opposing the 🇷🇺 29th and 🇷🇺 35th Armies

Further south along the Haichur River, the 🇺🇦 110th Mechanized Brigade is now supported not only by a BTG from the 142nd Brigade and the 33rd Assault Regiment, but also by the 24th “Aidar” Assault Regiment. Most attacks in this area are conducted by units of the 🇷🇺 36th Army.

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Unit Observer

@WarUnitObserver

Dec 19, 2025

Two 🇺🇦Ukrainian brigades reinforced the flanks of Pokrovsk in November.

The 35th Marine and 95th Air Assault brigades were transferred from their previous positions to each of the city's flanks after the situation inside Pokrovsk deteriorated.

The 🇺🇦35th Marine Brigade came from the Novopavlivka front, although its battalions likely had a few weeks of recovery in October between the two deployments.

In early November, the 1st, 2nd and 137th battalions began posting footage of drone strikes from the northern edge of Pokrovsk and east of the city - near Myrnohrad.
Here, small elements of fellow marines from the 38th Brigade might still be surrounded, although the situation is more appropriately described as “a massive gray zone”.

The 35th Brigade’s deployment is likely in a supporting role to inflict attrition on the advancing Russians and enable the eventual full withdrawal from Myrnohrad.

The 🇺🇦95th Air Assault Brigade came from the Dobropillya direction, under the 1st Azov Corps.
It is unclear whether it was fighting as an independent unit or if its elements were reinforcing the 82nd Air Assault Brigade’s sector.

Beginning in late November, at least two of its battalions deployed around the contested town of Kotlyne, on the western flank of Pokrovsk.
This transfer might have been in anticipation of the Russian push towards Hryshyne along the highway, which saw the commitment of the 🇷🇺VDV’s 76th Guards Air Assault Division.

Two separate light motorized assaults by the 76th Division, on December 10th and 13th, did not go well here.

Two of the 🇺🇦95th Brigade’s battalions seem to not have moved to Kotlyne, with 2nd Battalion possibly still around the Dobropillya sector, and 13th Battalion lacking data since late summer.

Read 4 tweets

Unit Observer

@WarUnitObserver

Dec 16, 2025

The 🇺🇦 clearing of Kupyansk’s northern outskirts in depth: the 2nd National Guard Corps "Khartia" has been committed.

As reported by many sources last week, the northern flank of Kupyansk has been cleared of Russians, partially cutting off infantry in the city itself.

This operation was led by a command element of the 2nd NGU Corps “Khartia”, initially under the Group of Forces North and currently under Major General Drapatyi’s “Joint Forces Task Force”.

A lengthy post by Ukrainian journalist (now member of Khartia) Yurii Butusov contains detailed information: on September 21st, a 🇺🇦“Search & Strike Group” was created from the headquarters of the Khartia Corps, under corps commander Colonel Obolyenskyi.
As far as we know, this is the first appearance of this task-organized formation in Ukrainian doctrine.

The “Khartia Group” operated with various attached subunits under its command.
- On 24/09, the newly formed 475th Assault Regiment “Code 9.2” (created from 92nd Assault Brigade subunits) cleared the town of Tyshchenkivka.
- On 09/10, the 475th Regiment and the 4th Battalion of the 92nd Brigade recaptured Kindrashivka.
- On 11/10, armored groups from the NGU Khartia Brigade took Radkivka.

At this point the key goal was reaching the Oskil’ river to fully cut the Russian route into the city - this was achieved on October 21st.
Geolocated footage from the area south of Holubivka was released by Khartia Brigade last week, confirming this.

A truly impressive aspect has been the OPSEC (Operational Security) surrounding the operation - the only indication that attacks were ongoing was Russian-released footage of drone strikes on an M113 assault north of Holubivka around 21/10.
This may have been a company from 425th “Skelya” (ex-Skala) Regiment’s 2nd Assault Battalion. It is unlikely they were able to consolidate their positions after the vehicles were disabled.

Other units supporting the main effort as part of the “Khartia Group” were the 144th Mechanized Brigade, Free Russia Legion elements and drone teams from the “Lazar” and “Typhoon” NGU detachments.

South of the Khartia Group, in the center of the city, is another task-organized command - 🇺🇦“Tactical Group Kupyansk”, under the command of Brigadier General Solimchuk.

Unclear elements belonging to the 125th and 127th Heavy Mechanized Brigades recently supported Skelya Regiment units in the clearing of the key Yuvileynyi microdistrict, a large city block of high-rises crucial to controlling the city.
Along with various SOF units from SSO, SBU, KORD and the Military Police’s 138th Special Purpose Center, these formations are now gradually moving north to clear the city and reinforce the Khartia Group’s positions.

The Freikorps volunteer unit and the 151st Recon Battalion have also been operating inside the city, while the 10th Army Corps’ 116th and 14th Mechanized Brigades defend their lines south of the city and east of the Oskil’ river.

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Unit Observer

@WarUnitObserver

Dec 4, 2025

On 02.12.25, one day after restructuring into a division, the 🇷🇺55th naval infantry division attempted to break through toward Myrnograd with a mechanized attack - indicating a possible reprioritization away from the Dobropillya axis

https://x.com/sternenko/status/1996544540723884355

Several AFV were lost. Among them are tanks identifiable from recent Russian media footage, as well as vehicles bearing typical Naval Infantry markings previously used by the former 155th Naval Infantry Brigade

https://x.com/sternenko/status/1996544540723884355

https://x.com/WillKnowler/status/1996665406547702179

Our great contributor @WillKnowler found footage of above mentioned armored column before the attack.
(make sure to give him a follow)

https://x.com/WillKnowler/status/1996665406547702179

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