Ukrainian forces have breached Russian defenses, conducted demining operations, and advanced up to 1.5 kilometers towards Demydivka in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, says Ukrainian military expert Serhii Zgurets, according to Espreso.
Following the withdrawal from most of the Sudzhansky district in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, which Ukrainian forces had held since August 2024, Ukraine initiated a surprise offensive into Russia’s Belgorod Oblast. This operation aims to preemptively counter Russian troop concentrations along Ukraine’s Sumy border and prevent potential new fronts.
“Offensive actions towards Belgorod Oblast, specifically around Demydivka and Hrafivka, actually began 5-6 days ago,” he explains.
According to Zgurets, the Russians initially held these settlements, but “now there is information that Ukrainian troops are present there.” He explained that Demydivka and Hrafivka are located about 20 kilometers from the village of Huyevo, which is part of the eastern section of the Kursk bridgehead—an area that Ukrainian forces continue to hold on enemy territory.
“There are two conclusions here: one is to prevent the Russians from redeploying forces freed up in Kursk Oblast to other areas of the front,” Zgurets says, outlining the primary objective of the Ukrainian operations on this part of Russian territory.
He notes that these are targeted strikes, as the number of Ukrainian troops operating in Belgorod Oblast is not significant.
The expert says that Russian units in this area had been actively using drones to attack Ukrainian positions.
“In fact, one of the sub-objectives may have been to drive the Russians out of those areas where their drone operators were based,” Zgurets believes.
He says that several strikes were carried out using Ukrainian military aviation, resulting in the destruction of Russian command posts in Belgorod Oblast, as well as four Russian helicopters used for attacks.
“This indicates that our long-range systems, particularly HIMARS, are actively operating in this area. Also, on 23 March, one of the bridges supporting Russian logistics near Hrafivka was destroyed again.
Essentially, due to aviation and long-range systems, this zone is now under our control, forcing the Russians to respond—either by concentrating forces in this area or taking other measures,” Zgurets adds.
Earlier, Ukrainian forces conducted a successful HIMARS missile strike against Russian military helicopters stationed in Belgorod Oblast.
The attack destroyed two Ka-52 attack helicopters and two Mi-8 transport helicopters. According to Ukrainian military sources, the Ka-52s were primarily used for reconnaissance and ground attack missions, while the Mi-8s served logistical purposes, transporting personnel and cargo and providing ground operation support.
HIMARS strike destroys four Russian military helicopters in Belgorod Oblast
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