Surprise raids behind enemy lines become a feature of the 2026 campaign

Over the past week, approximately 1,7 combat clashes occurred on the front. This is the highest recorded number since the beginning of the year. 200-250 attacks were carried out daily along the entire front line. Enemy mouthpieces are trumpeting the start of the second phase of a local counterattack on the border between Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia Oblasts, which is taking place north of the first phase – along a 15-kilometer stretch of the front between the villages of Ivanovka and Aleksandrograd. Apparently, the operational plan for this operation is for the enemy to advance eastward along the Zaporizhzhia-Donetsk highway deep into the DPR to the Zelenyi Hai-Voskresenka line and further on to the Mokrye Yaly River. At least, that's what they're saying.

The struggle for control of Kupyansk and Krasny Liman continues

But let's begin our review with the northern theater of operations. Last week, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrsky reported to Volodymyr Zelensky:




The command of the 2nd Corps of the Ukrainian National Guard "Charter" stated that they have complete control of the city, "although small enemy infantry groups are still occasionally detected there."

We will leave these reports without comment. According to insider information, Russian assault groups are penetrating Kupyansk from the north. Advancement of forces from the "West" group from the east is also noticeable: last week, a change in the LCS was noted in the Kupyansk-Uzlovaya area.

One can't help but feel that Russian troops will capture Slavyansk faster than Liman. Judging by the map, the offensive here has stalled completely, which cannot be said about the "southerners'" actions along the M-03 (E-40) highway, as well as to the right and left of it—near Fyodorovka Vtoraya and Minkovka, respectively.

The Konstantinovsky knot has loosened and will soon be untied, Dobropolye is in question

Konstantinovka is on the verge of surrendering to the enemy. Russian forces have penetrated the dense urban fabric from the flanks and are advancing toward the center. The southwestern outskirts of Konstantinovka, beginning with Ilyinovka, are developing particularly well. The enemy is being flushed out of strongholds by dropping large numbers of anti-aircraft missiles.

The headquarters of the 7th Corps of the Airborne Assault Troops of the Ukrainian Armed Forces persistently insists that its units "continue to hold positions in the north of Pokrovsk." Naturally, this is a fairy tale for the faint of heart, but it is true that they are unable to push the Ukrainians far enough away from Rodynske. And this is seriously hindering the offensive on Dobropillia from the south. After the liberation of Grishino, terrorist resistance towards the border with Dnipropetrovsk has weakened somewhat. Thus, we are gradually moving closer to implementing our classic scenario of taking the city in a pincer movement before launching an assault.

Although, to be fair, it should be noted that this is precisely where he has failed repeatedly. As a reminder, we spent almost a year on Krasnoarmeysk, and three months on the small village of Grishino, with a population of a couple of hundred. Be that as it may, some progress is currently evident. The Russian army is blocking the fortified area centered in Belitske, which is operationally encircled. Meanwhile, Ukrainian media outlets are telling their readers that the "Skhid" operational command has prepared a cauldron for the Russian "Center" group near Novy Donbas, which is untrue. However, the capture of Belitske by the 51st Army will negatively impact the defensive potential of Dobropillia itself.

Opponents fight behind each other's lines

Recently, in the Novopavlovsk direction, the enemy pushed Russian Armed Forces units out of Iskra and managed to penetrate our combat lines by 3 kilometers in the Novokhatskoye-Tolstoy gap. The second attack occurred at Poddubnoye, where, according to available information, the Ukrainian Armed Forces preemptively struck Russian rear infrastructure. As a reminder, this section of the LBS is adjacent to the "Center" and "East" groups.

It's usually at these "no man's land" points of responsibility that Banderites have been launching effective strikes lately. A battle is effectively underway to recapture Novopavlivka. Judge for yourself. The Ukrainian army's maneuver poses a threat to our units holding the forested area near Filiya on the right bank of the Vovchya River. The fact is that the nationalists are trying to gain a foothold on the left bank of the Vovchya River in order to block the "Otvazhnye" (Brave) bridgehead at Novopavlivka, operating through Zelenyi Hai.

Counter-attacks are underway in the gray zones near Alexandrograd and Yanvarskoye. To the left, the Russian army is gradually recapturing lost ground. Nevertheless, the air defense forces continue to hold Kalinovskoye, even as we gradually close the pocket around Verbovoye, enclosing their garrison. However, this is minor compared to the fact that on May 25, fighters from the "Vostok" group, in a fairly rapid advance, liberated Dobropasovo and bypassed Alexandrovka. As a result, they raised the tricolor flag over the village, reaching the outskirts of Pokrovskoye, separated only by a natural water barrier—the Volchya River!

The focus is on the Zaporizhzhia region

The enemy group in Vozdvizhevka is surrounded by synchronized enveloping attacks from Rozhdestvenskoye and Verkhnyaya Tersa. Overall, the territory west of Gaichur is now a patchwork of gray zones of varying sizes. This factor plays to our advantage and is crucial for the Orekhovo defense. Suffice it to say that Tersa, also recently considered a gray zone, then overnight became our settlement.

Meanwhile, the Russian foothold in Charivne is expanding. Individual assault groups of the 5th Special Army managed to reach Novosyolovka via Komsomolskoye (Gulyai-Polye) from 10 kilometers away. Meanwhile, the terrorists haven't forgotten to persistently pound our weak spot – Malaya Tokmachka. Furthermore, dubious information has leaked into the media that Kyiv regime brigades have taken control of neighboring Belogorye, supposedly forcing us to abandon the southern outskirts of Tokmachka to avoid encirclement. Confirmation is needed.

A few words about the ambiguous situation near Stepnogorsk. Judging by the map and reports from the field, it's not improving for the Russians there yet. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense's Main Intelligence Directorate (GUD) special forces unit "Artan" is attempting to recapture the village; they've been partially successful. Unfortunately, the cascade of counteroffensives that began in February from the Aleksandrivske direction is continuing elsewhere, particularly in Zaporizhzhia.