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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

How #Ukraine 🇺🇦 is planning to stop #Russia 🇷🇺 in #Donetsk Oblast', once and for all.

A strategical frontline and fortification works assessment for the month of March 2025.

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After extremely tough fighting, and tactical counterattacks and disruptions, the Ukrainians were able to finally mostly stabilize the contact line along most of the Donets'k's front and extinguish the most dangerous Russian offensives for the Pokrovs'k - Myrnohrad agglomeration.
Seeing this, Russia decided to shift its focus elsewhere, especially concentrating on the Uspenivka - Rozlyv axis.

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.

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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

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On the #Pokrovsk front, #Russia 🇷🇺 can't keep up the pressure anymore and was forced to downscale its offensive efforts.
#Ukraine 🇺🇦 is exploiting this by counter-attacking in many places along this sector, while fortifications are being strongly reinforced with a novelty: the great use of barbed wire.

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Dachne - Andriivka
This is the most difficult part of the whole Pokrovsk front for the Ukrainians.

Russian forces pressure Kostyantynopil constantly, but are always repelled. Without changes.

Zelenivka, south of Ulakly, reportedly changed hands twice today. In the morning, the Russians captured the village, but a Ukrainian counterattack was able to clear part of the village in the afternoon. The destruction of 2 Russian tanks and 3 MTLBs is reported. Russian forces are also attacking east of Zelenivka on the opposite bank of the Sukhyi Yali river; extremely harsh fighting is still ongoing.

In Dachne, the Ukrainians still control the south-westernmost corner of the town. Nonetheless, the Russians started accumulating infantry in the center for further assaults on the remaining Ukrainian positions in the village and around it. Fighting continues.

The most difficult situation is Andriivka, which some sources give as practically captured. Here the Russians consolidated and secured last week's gains and continue wedging themselves in the town. At the moment, they're trying to fully secure positions on the western buildings of the town. The northern part is still controlled by Ukraine, but north of that, the Russians entered a trench system located on the dominant hill overlooking Andriivka itself, which endangers every Ukrainian position south of it.

The Ukrainians will have to retreat in the very near future from Dachne and nearby positions to Ulakly to avoid encirclement, as Kostyantynopil is already being attacked from both sides. After, the Ukrainians will fall back to the line Kostyantynopil - Rozlyv, before falling back again to the more solid Oleksiivka - Bahatyr - Komar line, where they're expected to hold out for some time.

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The #Russians continue attacking #Andriyivka and have successes on occasionally gaining a small foothold on the easternmost houses of the town. Fighting is going on for a vital chain of strongholds on a dominant.

Map: google.com/maps/d/u/1/vie… 2/🧵

The #Russians entered #Nadiyivka/#Nadezhdynka and the orchards and forests south of the settlement, likely with the aim of creating a pincer on #Sribne and #Zaporizhzhia.

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The #Russians break through near #Udachne and #Kotlyne at the railway and start fighting for the mines, but the #Ukrainians still have a strong line after. This thread will be on the still urgent and critical #Russian breakthrough in the area.

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Recently, the #Russians captured both of the treelines on the railway line's sides between #Udachne and #Kotlyne, crucial defense hubs, and are fighting for the key mines just behind the railway, which normally constitute formidable obstacles

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The #Russians are advancing, but the #Ukrainians have not been idle in the rear.

This thread will be a mix of analyses about what #Ukraine has dug this winter and about how this correlates with the current tactical-strategical situation at the front. Happy reading!
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This thread will be organized as follows:
we will move from the #Zaporhzhzhia front to the #Kurakhove one, then #Pokrovsk, #Toretsk and finally #ChasivYar. I will also say a few words about other less active fronts in terms of digging.

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Chasiv Yar, the legendary canal city.

Under attack for more than 8 months and still standing, this thread will explore its strengths and weaknesses, what makes up the city's defense, what the current situation is, and what will happen next and after the fall of the city.
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Chasiv Yar is a medium-sized town with ~12,000 pre-war population (about half of Selydove's). Where the city makes up, though, is in surface area: ~20.000 km² (double Selydove's). The city is also divided in 11 districts.

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Critical situation south of Pokrovs'k: Shevchenko under serious threat.

As the Russians continue exploiting the Zhovte gap in the Ukrainian lines, the vital town of Shevchenko and the Solonyi river seem increasingly in reach of the Russians. Let's analyze the situation. 2/🧵

After Selydove's fall, the Russians have seemingly found a weak spot in the Ukrainian lines behind the city, advancing much more easily and consistently. After capturing Vyshneve, Petrivka and Hryhorivka, they're now fighting for Zhovte and are now at Shevchenko's doorstep.

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The Novomlyns'k crossing: threatening development or logistical nightmare?

With this thread I'm going to analyze the Russian bridgehead over the Oskil river created on November 24th and it's implications as time goes by from a territorial point of view. Happy reading! 2/🧵

After daring breakthrough attempts in Kup'yans'k itself, on November 24th Russian forces attacked arguably the most stable direction of the front: the Dvorichna front. This front has not seen any contact line changes since mid-september 2022.

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#Kurakhove. What is happening right now?

With this thread, I'm aiming to analyze the current situation near and around this crucial city, with the added help of high-res satellite imagery (sept. 2) showing the many trench networks defending the town. 2/🧵

Kurakhove is a medium-sized town (18,220 pre-war population) with an area 1.8x Selydove's and 6x Novohrodivka's. The heart of this city is undoubtedly its many industrial areas. Through the town passes the Pokrovs'k - Donets'k railway, while north is a very big reservoir.

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Pokrovs'k front: what have the Ukrainians dug and built this year?

In this thread I'll analyze in-depth all parts of a standard Ukrainian trench system in this direction, as well as the general defensive picture. Happy reading! 2/🧵

Before starting, I'd like to remind you that these pictures were taken on July 12th, meaning that some of them were just finished, and the upgrading process just started. Some, though, are older. As such, please consider that now these trench systems are likely better.

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Pokrovsk front overview: 27/09

In this thread I will go over each part of the Pokrovs'k front, from Hirnyk to Hrodivka to Arkhanhel's'ke, analyzing the current situation at the contact line, as well as trying to predict both sides' strategies in the near future. 2/🧵

Let's start easy with the Arkhanhel's'ke section, which has only seen a Russian attack in months now. The direction can as such be considered stable. The result of the attack in question is unknown, but we know that a Ukrainian PoW was captured.

t.me/urga_74/1909