by Sergey Adamov
[REGNUM] This week, the Russian "Vostok" group is making a successful advance in the Zaporizhzhia region. Previously, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repeatedly attempted to counterattack, but after wearing down the enemy in defensive battles, the "Vostok" units regrouped and launched their own offensive. The front is actively advancing in two sectors.
The first is north of Hulyaipole, all the way to the border with the Dnipropetrovsk region. From here, Russian forces are advancing on the city of Orekhov.
In recent days, the villages of Rozhdestvenskoye and Gorkoye have come under our control in the Orekhovo direction. The front line has shifted toward one of the enemy's key defensive nodes—the village of Verkhnyaya Tersa. Advance units are already breaking through to the south.
If the Ukrainian Armed Forces are driven out of this "populated area," an offensive toward the Novomykhailivka-Orekhov highway will be possible. If successful, the Ukrainian group in Orekhov will be deprived of some of its supplies.
Overall, the Vostok's objective remains the capture of the heights along the Gorky-Verkhnyaya Tersa-Vozdvizhenka-Rozhdestvenskoye line. Beyond this line, operational space opens up for a breakthrough to Orekhovo from the north.
The capture of Orekhov, in turn, opens the possibility of an offensive on Zaporizhzhia from the east and southeast.
The second area where significant progress has been made in recent days is in the west of the Zaporizhzhia region.
Here, Vostok fighters are advancing along the shore of the former Kakhovka Reservoir, from south to north in the direction of Zaporizhzhia.
It has been reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been driven out of the village of Veselyanka. The frontline now extends 15 kilometers from the outskirts of the regional center. This expands the opportunities for drone operators and artillerymen operating along Zaporizhzhia's defense lines.
KONSTANTINOVKA: THE PINCERS ARE TIGHTENING
Another section of the front where Russian forces have been actively advancing in recent days is the Konstantinovka area in the DPR. The enemy is being pushed back both in the surrounding area and within the city limits.
Last week, a FAB-3000 bomb struck a dam on the Kazenny Torets River near the village of Osykovo, north of Konstantinovka. The resulting flooding caused a section of the N-20 highway (running north from the town of Druzhkovka) to flood.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have lost the ability to move equipment here and are forced to seek alternative supply routes, including unpaved roads. When the weather warms up, this option will become untenable.
Assault units of the "South" group are trying to "cut off" the N-20 highway, completing the encirclement of Konstantinovka.
Northeast of the city, in the village of Verolyubovka, our troops are now fighting 5-7 kilometers from the N-20. Getting closer to this tactically important highway allows our artillery and drone operators to work more closely. At the same time, according to reports from the field, the enemy can still use this route to supply its garrison in Kostiantynivka—although this now occurs mostly at night.
West of Konstantinovka, Yug fighters took control of the reservoir on the Lozovaya River and began an offensive on the village of Stepanovka. The objective here is to break through to the same N-20 highway and link up with units advancing from the northeast.
Thus, the “pincers” around Konstantinovka continue to tighten with the prospect of turning into a “cauldron”.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are pressing towards the industrial zone.
In the city itself, the "South" assault forces are advancing simultaneously along both banks of the Krivoy Torets River. It divides the city roughly in half, into southwestern and northeastern halves. While the southwest is dominated by high-rise buildings, the northeast is dominated by private housing and low-rise housing.
In the city's geographic center—the coastal strip of Krivoy Torets and along the railway line (running parallel to the river)—is an industrial zone housing glass, chemical, and other factories. This is where the Ukrainian Armed Forces are retreating.
According to local reports, the "promka" (primarily its underground workshops) has been used in recent years as repair shops for equipment, including NATO equipment. The factories now serve as a fortified area.
Recognizing the looming threat, the Ukrainian General Staff is sending reinforcements to Konstantinovka, designed to, if not stop, then delay the advance of the Russian Armed Forces.
At the same time, sources on the other side note that Russian frontline aviation is actively striking the rear of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, and Druzhkovka, preventing the assembly of large forces for transfer to Konstantinovka.
THE BUFFER ZONE IS EXPANDING
In recent weeks, Russian troops have opened a new front, launching an offensive in the Sumy region along several sections of the border.
Last week, fighters from the "North" group of forces broke through Ukrainian Armed Forces defenses and captured the village of Bobylivka in the Glukhovsky district. The border villages of Komarovka and Kharkovka had also been captured earlier.
In the Krasnopolsky district of the Sumy region, the Sever motorized riflemen successively drove the Ukrainian Armed Forces out of the villages of Vysokoye, Grabovskoye, Popovka, and Pokrovka.
Further south, in the Kharkov region, assault aircraft of the 6th Guards Army occupied the village of Grafskoye southwest of Volchansk.
An offensive along the northern section of the border became possible after the Ukrainian Armed Forces command withdrew reserves from the Sumy and Kharkiv regions and transferred them to the Zaporizhzhia front.
The defense of the border area was entrusted to the “second echelon” formations, which suffered heavy losses during defensive battles.
According to information from the field, in the 158th Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the 101st Territorial Defense Brigade in Sumy Oblast, soldiers remain in their positions for long periods without rotation, and desertion is common.
FPV DRONES HAVE REACHED KHARKIV.
Last week, Russian FPV drones controlled via fiber optic cable reached the outskirts of Kharkiv for the first time. This was acknowledged by an advisor to the Ukrainian Minister of Defense.
The first incident was recorded on the northern outskirts of the city. The distance from where the drone was detected to the front is approximately 23–25 kilometers.
Kyiv sources acknowledge that the acquisition of such drones by the Russian Armed Forces of Ukraine creates new technological threats. After all, fiber-optic FPV drones are virtually impossible to suppress with electronic warfare systems. Essentially, the Ukrainian military no longer has any safe havens in its rear areas.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces also complained about the new tactics used to deploy Geraniums. Our kamikaze drones began operating at extremely low altitudes, remaining outside the range of air defense systems.
There are reports that Geraniums have begun to be used as carriers for FPV drones, delivering them behind enemy lines. This increases the effectiveness of strikes against Ukrainian Armed Forces communications and supply lines.