Military Overview: Russian Forces Push Front Despite Ukrainian ResistanceSouth Front

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The conflict in Ukraine continues to escalate as Russian forces maintain offensive operations across multiple fronts, targeting key Ukrainian positions while repelling counterattacks. In their turn, Ukrainian troops are reinforcing defensive lines and launching strikes on Russian border regions, including on civilians, leading to a fluid and highly volatile battlefield situation.

The battles in the Russian Kursk region are nearing their end, though Russian offensive operations continue. Ukrainian forces maintain active defensive positions against advancing Russian troops, with heavy fighting concentrated in the forests near the village of Oleshnya. The Russian troops continue attacks from the Melovoe tract toward Oleshnya. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are rotating personnel attempting to reinforce their positions under poor weather conditions.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine lost their stronghold in the border village of Guevo. Russian troops broke through Ukrainian defense to the western and southern outskirts. Russian flags were raised over the administration building and over the Church of the Nativity in the center of the village. Russian forces continue attacks, developing their further offensive in the surrounding forests in the direction of the Gornal farm and the Gornal Monastery, which was turned into another Ukrainian fortress.

On April 6, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation confirmed the full control of the village of Basovka in the border Ukrainian Sumy region. Ukrainian military sources report further Russian assaults from the village. Notably, these attacks involve highly mobile units operating on quad bikes, allowing for rapid movement across difficult terrain. This tactic underscores Russia’s adaptation to the challenges of woodland and swampy areas in northern Ukraine. The same vehicles were used by Ukrainian troops in their attacks on the Belgorod region, but they brought no significant results.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military is sending reinforcement unable to win any victories in the border Belgorod region. Ukrainian forces are reinforcing their positions near the Krasnoyaruzhsky district, signaling potential preparations for further enlargement of cross-border raids. Russian troops are actively hunting down Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups operating in border forests and nearby villages. Fierce clashes are ongoing near Demidovka and Popovka, while Ukrainian forces continue shelling the Belgorod region, striking civilian areas. These attacks have resulted in civilian casualties and infrastructure damage, further straining the humanitarian situation in the region.

According to the reports from the battlefield, the following Ukrainian units are operating in the border areas:

225th & 33rd Separate Rifle Battalions
47th Mechanized Brigade
414th Attack Drone Brigade (notorious “Magyar’s Birds”)
22nd & 61st Mechanized Brigades
17th Tank Brigade
122nd Territorial Defense Brigade
Neo-Nazi “Aidar” Battalion elements
GUR (Military Intelligence) & SSO (Special Forces) detachments.

These units suggest a complex mix of conventional and irregular forces deployed in poorly coordinated attacks.

The Kupyansk direction remains one of the most active fronts, with Russian forces maintaining a high operational tempo near Oskol River bridgeheads. Ukrainian troops have made limited advances on the southern outskirts of Kamenka, exploiting forested areas for cover. However, Russian artillery and drone units are heavily contesting these movements, leading to prolonged and bloody exchanges.

The advance of Russian assault units of the Western group of forces continue. Russian troops managed to join their bridgehead on the right bank of the Oskol river. They broke through the land corridor from Valuysky district to the north of Kupyansk. Russian troops began to advance into the Veliky Burluk area, surounding Kupyansk from two sides.

Russian troops have pushed forward in Chasov Yar despite heavy Ukrainian resistance. According to Russian military sources, assault units of the Southern grouping have completed the mop up operations in the “Zapadny” (Western) district, shifting the frontline closer to the city center. Ukrainian forces still control part of the central area, including high-rise buildings and the strategic locomotive depot, which serves as a key stronghold. Russian forces now appear poised to cut Ukrainian supply routes between the center and the Dnipro Pond area, aiming to isolate the Ukrainian garrison and block reinforcements or evacuations. Currently, Russian troops have partially encircled Ukrainian forces, gradually tightening the flanks in tactics reminiscent of Bakhmut’s final assault. However, Ukrainian forces continue to hold positions, redeploying reserves from other directions. Strategic importance of Chasov Yar lies in its elevated position, serving as a gateway to the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk urban agglomeration.

In the Seversk direction, Ukrainian forces are attempting to regain lost positions through localized counterattacks south of Belogorovka. Russian troops are responding with artillery and aerial bombardments to disrupt these efforts. The area remains a critical flashpoint, as control over this sector could influence future operations toward Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

In the area of Toretsk, Russian forces have reportedly advanced between Krymskoye and Severnoye, pushing through forested areas to outflank Ukrainian defense. In the city, intense urban combat is underway as Russian troops continue the mop up operations at the remaining Ukrainian strongholds. To the southwest, heavy fighting continues as Russian forces work to stabilize the frontline from Zelenoye Pole to the recently liberated Panteleimonovka. Securing this area would allow for further advances toward Krasnohorivka and Kostyantynivka, key logistical hubs for Ukrainian forces.

The Pokrovsk (formerly Krasnoarmiisk) axis remains one of the main directions of Russian offensive efforts. Fighting is particularly intense near Uspenovka, where Ukrainian forces are putting up stiff resistance. Russian troops are employing tactical drones, artillery, and armored assaults to break through, but progress has been slow due to fortified Ukrainian positions.

Russian troops have made new gains on the Velykaya Novoselka front, capturing two Ukrainian strongholds while advancing from Vesele toward Fedorivka. Assault units of the Russian Vostok (East) grouping are pushing along the Mokri Yaly River, targeting Fedorivka and Komar after securing Vesele earlier. Russian forces reportedly reached Fedorivka’s southern outskirts, striking deep into Ukrainian lines to eliminate reserves. Ukrainian sources confirm heavy fighting, noting Russian troops are also attempting to flank Fedorivka from the east to advance toward Komar. The assault is backed by intense Russian MLRS and drone strikes, which are leveling Ukrainian fortifications. Ukrainian forces are resisting but face sustained pressure as Russia seeks to weaken defensive lines for further advances toward Komar. The Russian military also advanced in the northwestern direction, liberating about 8 square kilometers of territory and reaching the outskirts of the village of Shevchenko.

On the Zaporizhzhia front, Russian FPV drones are actively targeting Ukrainian troops in Novodanilovka, disrupting supply lines and command posts on the outskirts of Orekhov. In response, Ukraine is deploying reserve units from Orekhov to shore up defenses. The use of first-person-view (FPV) drones has become a defining feature of this sector, with both sides relying heavily on these low-cost, high-precision weapons.

The current phase of the conflict is characterized by grinding positional warfare, with both sides struggling to achieve decisive breakthroughs. Russian forces are making incremental gains in Toretsk, Pokrovsk, and Kupyansk, while Ukraine continues to harass Russian border regions and reinforce key defensive lines. The increasing reliance on drones, electronic warfare, and long-range artillery suggests that neither side is close to a major operational victory. Instead, the war appears to be settling into a prolonged battle of endurance, where logistics, morale, and industrial production will play decisive roles in determining the eventual outcome.