Today there are a lot of updates from the Kharkiv direction. Here, Ukrainians have consistently seized the initiative in all directions in the region, inflicting heavy losses on Russian forces not only in the city of Vovchansk, but also through counterattacks north of Lyptsi.
Following their successful recapture of lost positions southwest of Hlyboke, they began amassing additional forces around Lyptsi for the next steps in their plan to push the enemy back across the international border.
Firstly, the Ukrainian commanders initiated the deployment of fresh reinforcements, a move confirmed by frontline Ukrainian soldiers, who reported that approximately two brigades had been assembled around Lyptsi in anticipation of future assault operations.
Russian soldiers confirmed these statements, sharing with their military bloggers that they had noticed a buildup of equipment near the frontline and the reinforcement of second echelon reserves over several days. Russian commanders provided further details, warning of a high concentration of Ukrainian strike battalion tactical groups along the entire frontline.
This buildup suggests that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are preparing a major counter offensive in the coming days, supported by long range artillery and Western multiple rocket launch systems. They also highlighted the recent arrival of new shipments of ATACMS missiles from Poland totaling over 75 missiles with at least half of them equipped with cluster warheads.
Secondly the Ukrainians persisted with their audacious raids against Russian positions in and around Hlyboke, aiming to realign the frontline, push the Russians back to the southeast of the village and simultaneously initiate storming operations.
Leveraging the strength and quality of their forces in the region the Ukrainians succeeded, with intense fighting erupting soon within the village itself. In response to these developments and the mounting signs of an imminent large-scale Ukrainian offensive, the Russian high command decided to intervene preemptively, attempting to disrupt the Ukrainian buildup before all forces could be fully assembled.
The initial Russian response was to escalate the use of loitering munition systems, such as the lancet drone, to target Ukrainian heavy equipment which is crucial for any successful operation in the area due to the expensive open fields that favor mechanized offensives.
A geolocated video released by Russian drone operators vividly illustrates the extent of Ukrainian
penetration into Russian positions. The footage captures a Ukrainian striker armored fighting vehicle concealed in a tree line at the western entrance of Hlyboke, attempting a surprise flank attack to destabilize Russian defenses. The lancet drone is shown successfully targeting the striker and setting it ablaze.
These Ukrainian assaults from the west of Hlyboke were aimed at distracting the Russians from the main push towards the village which came from the east as can be seen on this geolocated video shared by drone operators of the Ukrainian Brigade Khartiya. The footage shows at least two Ukrainian armored vehicles maneuvering into position to storm a Russian holdout in a tree line. As they arrive a Ukrainian BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle opens fire with its main gun to suppress the Russian defenders, allowing the assault group to dismount from an M113 armored personnel carrier.
The BMP-1 then begins to slowly advance to the other flank, continuing its suppressive fire to support the ground troops. Subsequently another M113 arrives delivering additional soldiers and evacuating the wounded. Notably the Western-made vehicle is equipped with a cage to protect against fpv drones. This proves invaluable moments later when an enemy drone detonates unable to penetrate the M113’s defenses, ensuring the successful delivery of reinforcements to the battlefield. Complete uncensored footage of this Ukrainian counterattack can be found on our telegram channel.
As a result of several coordinated operations the Ukrainian successfully pushed the Russians back leading to confirmed reports from soldiers on both sides that the fighting has now moved into the village of Hlyboke. The exhausted and heavily depleted Russian forces facing imminent rotations began mining the approaches to their positions in a bit to slow the Ukrainian advance.
Additionally, they felt felt compelled to deploy a new weapon in their arsenal in a desperate attempt to hold the Ukrainian momentum. Soon Russian military bloggers shared footage of the initial use of 3,000 kg Fab bombs against the village of Lyptsi. Ukrainian military analysts commented that the Russians are likely to increase the deployment of this devastating weapon, following a pattern similar to their use of smaller versions such as the Fab 250, 500 and 1500 bombs, escalating from one or two per day to around five per day.
Despite the bomb’s inaccuracy evident in geolocated footage where one such bomb misses its target by about 250 meters, the Fab 3000 remains a formidable threat due to its payload of approximately 1200 kg of explosives, causing significant destruction wherever it lands as seen in the aftermath of another detonation in Lyptsi.
Overall by seizing the initiative executing well-coordinated counterattacks and integrating advanced Western military technology Ukraine has inflicted heavy losses on Russian troops and forced them into a defensive posture the sophisticated use of multi-pronged assaults and Innovative tactics, such as exploiting vulnerabilities in Russian defenses, has disrupted Russian supply lines and command structures.
This sustained pressure has compelled Russian forces to react hastily, often ineffectively, showcasing a reactive rather than proactive strategy. These actions reflect Ukraine’s growing capability to dictate the terms of engagement and reclaim occupied territories signaling a turning point in the conflict.
In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.
