by Sergey Adamov
[REGNUM] The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that fighters from the Zapad group drove the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the village of Illichovka (Ozernoye in Ukrainian terminology) on April 27. The village is located along Highway T0513, which leads from liberated Seversk to enemy-controlled Slovyansk.
The changes in our favor on this section of the front are part of the advance toward the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, the last major stronghold of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the part of Donbas they occupy.
East of Kramatorsk, units of "Zapad" managed to reach the Seversky Donets-Donbass canal in the area of ​​the villages of Minkovka and Dibrova in the Artemovsky district.
WHY IS RAI-ALEKSANDROVKA IMPORTANT?
The creation of a stable line of defense in this area allowed our military to launch an offensive on Slavyansk further north—in the area of ​​the village of Rai-Aleksandrovka, where a powerful group of Ukrainian Armed Forces is concentrated.
According to the latest reports from the ground, fighting is ongoing in Rai-Aleksandrivka itself, where private homes have been converted into firing positions. Assault groups are entering the "populated area" from the south and southwest, from the Nikiforovka area, captured back in late March, and from the villages of Krivaya Luka and Kaleniki.
Ukrainian sources fear that further advances by Russian troops could lead to the encirclement of the group in Rai-Aleksandrivka in the near future.
This is a relatively small village (its population before the fighting was about 1,000), but it is tactically important for the advance toward Slavyansk. The distance from the forward positions of the Russian Armed Forces to the outskirts of this city is approximately 10-12 kilometers.
FROM KRASNOARMEYSK TO DOBROPOLYE
The offensive also continues from the previously liberated Krasnoarmeysk (Ukrainian name Pokrovsk) in a north-westerly direction.
As of April 27, active fighting is ongoing north of the village of Grishina, 14 kilometers from Krasnoarmeysk. Grishina itself, which had been in the "gray zone" for the past several months, was taken under control last week.
Attack aircraft from the 35th Motorized Rifle Brigade stealthily approached the eastern outskirts of the village and took up several positions, remaining undetected by enemy drones and ground forces, the Ministry of Defense reported. This stealth allowed our troops to successfully guide artillery and attack drone crews to the identified targets.
The capture of the village allowed us to expand the zone of control around Krasnoarmeysk, which deprives the Ukrainian Armed Forces of the ability to launch surprise attacks on our positions near the city.
On the shoulders of the retreating enemy, Russian troops occupied territory northwest and north of Grishin, advancing in the direction of the strategically important city of Dobropolye.
Continuing their offensive, Center fighters drove the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the village of Belitskoye, between Dobropillya and Krasnoarmeysk. This village repeatedly changed hands as the Ukrainian command continued its attempts to break through to the Krasnoarmeysk agglomeration.
With Belitskoye secured, the Russian army may be able to launch an offensive on Dobropillia from Vodyanskoye. This will require "breaking" the Ukrainian Armed Forces' fortified area—the enemy has used waste heaps there to establish a defensive stronghold.
Taking Dobropillya under Russian Armed Forces' control is one of the most important objectives on the Donbas front. Advancement here opens the possibility of cutting off the enemy's logistics in the Slovyansk-Kramatorsk area, the route that supplies the last major Ukrainian Armed Forces contingent in the Donbas from the southwest.
ADVANCE IN THE SUMY AND KHARKIV REGIONS
In the Russian-Ukrainian border zone, fighters from the Northern group of forces continue to consistently expand their zone of control.
Late in the evening of April 26, the Ministry of Defense confirmed that our troops had taken control of the village of Taratutino, located near the topographic marker, the highest point in the Sumy region.
Fighting is also taking place on these same border heights near the villages of Novodmitrovka and Mikhailovka. Sever fighters are currently 45-50 kilometers from the regional capital, Sumy. But more importantly, the security zone for the border areas of the Belgorod Region is expanding.
The same task is being addressed in the Kharkiv region. Last week, the village of Veterinarnoye, 35 km north of Kharkiv, came under the full control of the Russian Armed Forces. Heavy fighting is currently taking place in the surrounding forests.
On April 25, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were driven out of the village of Bochkova, east of the previously captured town of Volchansk. Earlier, the large village of Volchanskiye Khutor and the neighboring town of Zybino were taken in this area.
South and east of Volchansk, the enemy is deprived of the ability to accumulate forces, organize rotations, and resupply in close proximity to Russian territory. The expansion of the buffer zone makes it possible to prevent the infiltration of sabotage and reconnaissance groups (SRGs) across the border.
KUPYANSK: DESTRUCTION OF ENEMY LOGISTICS
In the Kupyansk area, units of the "West" group of forces are advancing on Ukrainian Armed Forces positions to push the enemy back to the right bank of the Oskol River. Fierce fighting continues near the village of Kupyansk-Uzlovaya and surrounding villages.
After taking Podolovo and Kurilovka, Zapad fighters launched an assault on Kupyansk-Uzlovaya. According to the latest reports, some of the buildings on the eastern outskirts of the town have been recaptured.
Clearing the bridgehead on the left bank of the Oskol River opens up the opportunity for the Russian Armed Forces to stabilize the front line in this area and transfer reserves directly to Kupyansk, where the enemy continues to attempt a counterattack.
Late last week, information surfaced online: soldiers from the 14th Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Kupyansk were facing a critical shortage of food and water. The personnel remained at their positions for up to 17 days without adequate nutrition. There were reports of loss of consciousness due to exhaustion, while the soldiers' weight dropped from 80-90 kg to approximately 50 kg.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense linked the incident to the actions of the previous command of the 14th Brigade, which, the ministry admitted, concealed the true state of affairs. This led to the loss of positions and disruptions in logistics and food supplies.
In turn, the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Joint Forces Group called the facts a "shameful result" of management decisions taken over a long period of time.
However, a number of sources note that the supply crisis for the Ukrainian army's forward units is in fact the result of increased activity by Russian drones and artillery: drones are destroying Ukrainian Armed Forces logistics at a distance of 10-20 kilometers from the front line.