MAJOR SCALE-UP! Russians BRACE FOR A COUNTEROFFENSIVE!

Today, there are a lot of interesting updates from the Borova direction. Here, the elite Third Assault Brigade underwent a massive upgrade, transforming into a full-fledged army corps, already leading to massively successful counterattacks and gains. This dramatic upgrade, bolstering its combined arms and offensive capabilities with up to 20,000 new soldiers, promises to reshape the balance in the Kupiansk and Borova directions.

The Ukrainian General Staff recently completed the restructuring of the elite Third Assault Brigade into the new and improved Third Army Corps, which consists of five times as many troops and equipment, under the leadership of Andriy Biletsky. This will combine five existing brigades under a single command structure, where they all operate as one large body, with the Third Assault Brigade making up the core of the corps.

The Third Assault Brigade, one of Ukraine’s most effective units, has honed three years of combat experience and adapted NATO doctrine into modern warfare. Recently, they showcased their strength by retaking Nadiya and surrounding areas, undoing two months of Russian advances and thousands of losses in a single operation.  Their coordinated counterattack combined artillery, drones, tanks, and armored assault units, each covering the other's weaknesses. Advancing in armored personnel carriers with Leopard 2 tank support, they dismounted to clear the settlement and nearby tree lines, swiftly eliminating any Russian resistance. 

This operation was strategically vital, placing a key Russian supply route near Borova under Ukrainian fire control.

Expanding the Third Assault Brigade into a Corps increases its force from 4,000 to up to 20,000 soldiers. Now operating under a unified Third Army Corps command, five brigades will coordinate more effectively than they could as independent ones. Previously, brigades were Ukraine’s highest military structure, each operating with distinct doctrines, tactics, and logistical needs, which limited operational flexibility. This corps-level integration streamlines command, enhances coordination, and improves the effectiveness of large-scale operations.

Beyond the new Third Army Corps, Ukraine is restructuring its military into 18 individual army corps, unifying five to seven brigades under a single command, covering extensive frontlines dozens of kilometers wide and deep. Each integrating intelligence, logistics, and specialized support units, the corps enhances firepower and flexibility by assigning dedicated artillery, air defense, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and engineering units. With up to 20,000 personnel and 900 heavy vehicles, corps headquarters will be able to directly control front sectors and coordinate large-scale operations more effectively than independent brigades can. The new Corps commanders benefit from superior communication and shared intelligence, enabling rapid decision-making, large-scale offensive and defensive operations, and rapid, precise responses, sending reinforcements to locations where they are most necessary. This structure turns localized engagements into coordinated operations, maximizing battlefield impact and advancing strategic objectives.

Specifically, this allowed the Ukrainian forces to eliminate several weaknesses Russians were exploiting to great effect. For example, in the Borova sector, Russians exploited the individualistic nature of the Ukrainian brigade structure to overwhelm one brigade, while launching attacks to pin down others and find gaps in the area of responsibility between two brigades. This allowed them to greatly expand their funnel to the Oskil River at Pischane to the south. These weaknesses are now eliminated, and the Ukrainian frontline will form a much more solid line of defense for Russians to expend their reserves against.

Notably, this massive reorganization took several months, as it had to be conducted under constant Russian offensive pressure, without cohesion falling apart, which in the end was done successfully. Now that the reorganization has been completed, Ukraine is fielding many more combat-ready army corps, which severely complicates any future Russian efforts. 

Overall, the Ukrainians successfully restructured the third assault and surrounding brigades into the new Third Army Corps. This is already yielding success, as Russians have not advanced in any direction within the new third army corps' area of responsibility, while Ukrainians have successfully conducted a test of their new capabilities. Further results of the restructuring will be visible in the future, as the new Third Assault Corps have yet to conduct more extensive operations. The new leadership will now first focus on integrating the existing other brigades into their doctrine, train them, and prepare for new, and much larger, operations than we have seen before.