Comprehensive Battlefront Breakdown: A Strategic Look at Every Front

In this report, I will overview the most significant changes over the past few days along the entire frontline. This time, the biggest updates come from the Kursk, Kupiansk, Chasiv Yar, Velyka Novosilka, and Kurakhove directions.

In the Kursk region, Russian forces continue their efforts to reclaim most of the salient controlled by Ukraine, as less than a month remains before Donald Trump’s inauguration and the anticipated launch of peace negotiation initiatives. The Russians persist in their indiscriminate use of North Korean troops, deploying them in massive human wave assaults as cannon fodder to achieve incremental marginal gains at the cost of very high casualties. However, Ukrainian forces continue to hold the bulk of the salient, with no significant changes in the northern sector. 

The most notable changes occurred in the southeast, where the large number of North Korean troops enabled limited advances near Plekhovo. The Russian objective in the Plekhovo vector is to approach the Sudzha-International Border Road closely enough to compromise Ukrainian logistics to Sudzha, a critical hub for sustaining the entire Ukrainian effort in the Kursk salient. In Plekhovo, the geographic conditions, including dense forests and the Psel River surrounding the settlement, put Ukrainian defenders at a disadvantage, forcing a slight withdrawal. The new line of contact has been established along the Psel River, which is expected to remain stable for the time being.

Now we move to the Kupiansk direction, where Russian efforts to assault this vital logistical hub, critical for supplying troops along the entire Oskil River, continue. The frontal advance toward Kupiansk from Lyman Pershyi has stabilized approximately five kilometers northwest of the city. Following this, Russian forces have attempted to cross the river and establish bridgeheads further north, aiming to find more favorable approaches to Kupiansk. 

However, the situation remains largely stable, and in some areas, such as Dvorichne, Ukrainian forces deployed the 10th Mountain Brigade, which managed to reclaim ground and push the Russians back across the river. This brigade is now fighting to replicate the operation against a second Russian bridgehead south of the first, near Masiutivka. Regarding the Russian spearhead south of Kupiansk, no significant changes have occurred.

Shifting our focus further south to the Chasiv Yar direction, the battle for this city remains intense, as Russian forces recognized the key importance as an elevated town that could potentially open the way for further advances into Donetsk Oblast. The most significant change here was that Ukrainian forces have taken control of the entire Refractory Plant in the center of Chasiv Yar. This fact forced elements of the Russian 98th Airborne Division to withdraw from the plant. Moreover, latest reports indicate Russian forces also withdrew from areas west of Klishchiivka, which is southeast of Chasiv Yar, including a quarry in that area. This indicates a broader pattern of Russian withdrawals from multiple positions around Chasiv Yar.

When it comes to the next major battle, in the Kurakhove direction, Russian forces continue to press both inside the city and within the cauldron formed by their advances north of the Kurakhove Reservoir and south from the Sukhi Yaly River. The Russians aim to capture Kurakhove due to its importance as a communications hub, which would enable further advances in the Donetsk region. 

Russian troops have continued their urban advances and now control almost the entirety of the urban area. However, Ukrainian forces retain control of the most important area – the industrial zone to the east, where they have established significant fortified positions. Although the southern vector has seen little change in recent days, the situation north of the Kurakhove Reservoir has worsened for Ukrainian forces, as the Russian advance has brought them closer to the H-15 highway, a vital supply route for Ukrainian troops entrenched in the industrial zone.

Finally, when it comes to the Velyka Novosilka direction, Russian forces have continued their renewed efforts to encircle this critical Ukrainian defensive stronghold, as it serves as the eastern anchor of the Ukrainian southern double defensive line. The situation has deteriorated significantly for Ukrainian forces in recent days, as defenses south of Velyka Novosilka failed to prevent the Russian advance, which successfully took Makarivka and a small settlement called Storozheve. 

Russian troops have destroyed several bridges around Velyka Novosilka to further hinder Ukrainian movements. Most critically, Russian forces in the southern vector have gained fire control over the road to Huliaipole, effectively isolating Velyka Novosilka, as the only remaining supply routes are dirt roads, which are problematic during this muddy season. It is unclear whether the Ukrainian command will decide to evacuate troops from Velyka Novosilka or entrench and hold the city while awaiting reinforcements to counterattack and regain control of logistical routes.

Overall, the situation remains largely stable in Kursk and Kupiansk, where Ukrainian forces have managed to hold most positions. Around Chasiv Yar, Ukrainians are not only holding Russians off but also forcing them to retreat from two tactical locations. In the Kurakhove and Velyka Novosilka direction, in contrast, the situation has deteriorated, needing urgent action by the Ukrainian command in order to stabilize the situation.

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