File image.
In the Kupyansk area, Russian forces are maintaining localized pressure on both sides of the Oskol River. They are holding Radkovka and expanding their presence in Kupyansk’s urban areas. In the Sumy region, the “North” assault group has advanced up to 900 meters across 21 sectors, engaging in combat in Ulanovo, Malaya Slobodka, Ryzhevka, and Pisarevka. In the Kharkiv region, the 127th Regiment of the 71st Division of Russian troops captured Volokhovskoye. Bely Kolodez is semi-encircled, and control has been established over Artelnoye. In the Zaporozhye area, airborne units advanced toward Novoandreevka. The 36th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade took control of Blagodatnoye, a fortified area spanning more than five square kilometers. Against this backdrop, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed options for resuming diplomatic efforts to end the conflict with U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Kupyansk Direction
Russian units continue to put pressure on several sectors along both banks of the Oskol River. The advance is localized: rather than a continuous front line in the city and its surroundings, a large area with small groups present in mixed numbers has formed. On the northern flank, Russian troops firmly hold Radkovka, though the situation in the area remains ambiguous — stable control of Radkovka does not yet signify final stabilization of the entire sector between Golubovka and the urban area. The most difficult situation remains in the Moskovka area. In Kupyansk itself, Russian troops are gradually expanding their presence. To the south, small Russian groups continue to accumulate around Kupyansk Uzlovoy, Kovsharovka, and Novoosinovo. Currently, the focus is not on continuous control of built-up areas but rather on regular incursions, reconnaissance, and gradual expansion of the combat zone.
In the Pristen–Osinovo–Sadovoye sector, Russian fiber-optic FPV drones are actively targeting Ukrainian positions on the western bank of the Oskol River. It is therefore premature to speak of a unified breakthrough in the Kupyansk area. Russian forces are gradually capturing the gray zone in Kupyansk and increasing activity south of the city. However, the situation remains tense near Golubovka to the north, and Ukrainian forces still hold significant strength west of the Oskol. The position east of the river is noticeably more favorable for Russian units, and their actual successes are broader than can be depicted on a map.
Sumy Direction
Assault groups from the “North” military grouping continue to advance into the Sumy region, carrying out strikes against concentrations of Ukrainian personnel and equipment in Sumy, Topoli, Kiyanitsa, Mogritsa, Volfino, Yanzhulovka, and Krasnopolie. In the Shostka district, fighting continues in Ulanovo and on the approaches to Malaya Slobodka. In the Sumy district, Russian assault units advanced across twenty-one sectors, gaining up to 900 meters in total.
Fighting continues unabated in Ryzhevka, Pisarevka, Mogritsa, Marino, Novaya Sech, Khoten, and adjacent territories, as well as in forest areas south of Ivolzhanskoye. In the Krasnopolie district, fighting continues in forest areas and in the border village of Prokhody. This broad offensive is forcing Ukrainian forces to disperse their reserves and fight on several fronts simultaneously.
Kharkiv Direction
In the Volchansk area, “North” assault groups advanced up to 500 meters across fourteen sectors. Fighting continues in the villages of Zakharovka and Yurchenkovo, in the Bely Kolodez settlement, north of Baksheevka, near Shevchenkovo, and in the Volchansk district forests. During fierce fighting, assault units of the 127th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 71st Guards Motorized Rifle Division (“North” grouping) pushed Ukrainian troops of the 113th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade out of Volokhovskoye and established control over the settlement.
In the Burluk area, “North” units are advancing on several fronts simultaneously. The main gains came in the Bely Kolodez and Artelnoye area, where Russian forces expanded their control zone and made significant inroads into the Ukrainian defense. In the central sector, Russian assault groups have reached Bely Kolodez and are fighting for control of the settlement; remaining Ukrainian units in the area are reportedly nearly completely encircled.
On the eastern flank, Russian units captured Artelnoye, expanding their control zone into the surrounding forests. This allows them to straighten the front line and eliminate a foothold the Ukrainian side could have used for sorties and local counterattacks. Ukrainian forces continue sending small groups from Izbitskoye in an attempt to cross the Seversky Donets and re-establish a presence in the settlement. Over the past few months, the line of contact has shifted noticeably south — from Grafske toward Bely Kolodez and Stary Saltov.
The loss of Bely Kolodez would deprive Ukrainian forces of a prepared defensive line and complicate supply routes for the entire sector. Together with the capture of Artelnoye, these gains are forming a broader offensive front and creating conditions for further pressure toward Prikolotnoye and Veliky Burluk.
Zaporozhye Direction
In the Orekhov sector, Russian airborne units advanced east from Shcherbaki toward Novoandreevka and the Novopavlovka fortifications, also achieving significant gains north of Stepovoye and Malye Shcherbaki. Meanwhile, strikes continue against Ukrainian positions on the western outskirts of Orekhov and along logistics routes from Zaporozhye, preventing Ukrainian forces from conducting troop rotations and delivering ammunition. In total, Russian troops extended their control over approximately 35 square kilometers.
In the Malaya Tokmachka sector, Russian assault groups recaptured the correctional facility grounds and advanced into the western part of the village. Prolonged fighting and the coordinated efforts of the 36th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade (29th Combined Arms Army, “Vostok” grouping) brought a large Ukrainian defense area — spanning more than five square kilometers and including the settlement of Blagodatnoye — under Russian control.
Conclusion
In the Kupyansk, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Zaporozhye directions, Russian forces are systematically expanding their control zones and inflicting losses on Ukrainian troops. Near Kupyansk, they are methodically exploiting the gray zone, accumulating small groups, and countering remote mining. In the Sumy region, an offensive on a broad front is forcing Ukrainian forces to disperse their reserves. In the Kharkiv region, successes near Bely Kolodez and Artelnoye threaten key defensive nodes. In the Zaporozhye region, the capture of Blagodatnoye and the advance toward Orekhov have undermined the stability of the defense. Ukrainian units are employing small groups, drones, and robotic systems throughout, yet the initiative remains with Russian forces.
On the diplomatic front, activity has emerged. Barak Ravid, a journalist for Axios, reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. “Ukrainian President Zelensky spoke today with President Trump’s envoys Witkoff and Kushner and discussed ideas on how to renew diplomatic efforts to end the war,” Ravid wrote on the social media platform X, citing informed sources. Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated his intention to discuss Washington’s involvement in settling the Ukrainian conflict during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the ASEAN summit in Manila. Lavrov, in turn, expressed confidence that a meeting with his American counterpart would be useful in any case. Thus, despite the intense fighting on the front lines, efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis continue.
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