Frontline report: Ukraine’s kill zone takes shape in Sumy Oblast—Russians trapped in Yunakivka say hope is gone

Today, there is interesting news from the Sumy direction in the northeastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces advance through forests to choke off Russian supply lines

Here, instead of fighting the Russians one on one, Ukrainians are creating yet another fire pocket around Yunakivka, a crucial Russian-controlled town in Sumy Oblast. Launching the second stage of the offensive, Ukrainian special forces are advancing the line in the forest, while Russian soldiers are killed by their own for attempting to surrender.

Ukrainian forces are using their proven formula with a simple yet effective goal: take the Russian ground lines of communication under fire control, isolate and starve the Russians in Yunakivka, and then turn the trap into a kill zone without any chances of evacuation or rotation. Russian commanders, bound by the obsession with holding territory at all costs, refuse to withdraw even from doomed positions, which the Ukrainians are counting on and more than ready to exploit. Yunakivka’s open layout with scattered and burned-out buildings offers no cover and no reason for the Ukrainians to engage in a storming operation, which would only cost losses in an attritional battle that can hardly be won against an opponent with more troops on the ground.

Russian drone footage shows the extent of destruction, confirming that Yunakivka is a battleground Ukrainians usually avoid in order to preserve personnel, and not waste them on frontal and grinding assaults. With the Russians switching to defensive operations in Yunakivka after their attempted push forward was annihilated by Ukrainian drones and artillery, the tempo of the battle has slowed down significantly, so the Ukrainian command started preparing their next move.

Forest raids, drone strikes, and a collapsing Russian frontline

The trap takes shape along the Sudzha–Yunakivka road and the forested settlements running into the town, where Ukrainian drone and artillery fire control needs to be established to Russian supply lines. First, the Ukrainians begun pounding Russian positions with relentless drone strikes, softening defenses and exposing supply lines in preparation. The next step is to secure the forests south of the road, vital for staging points and ambush sites. Control of these woods grants Ukrainian forces cover for mortars, reconnaissance, and drone operations and blocks the direct access from Sudzha to Yunakivka. This move would also deny Russians the ability to use the forest as an alternative supply route or start outflanking maneuvers through it. Once the forest is secured, Ukrainian attention will shift to Yablunivka, whose capture would close the pocket from the left flank and ensure that Yunakivka is surrounded from three sides. Every path leading in or out of the village would then pass directly through Ukrainian fire control, a textbook kill zone designed not to win fast, but to destroy methodically.

Deadly consequences for surrender and signs of total collapse

Ukrainian special operations forces began clearing the forest in lightning raids, with recent video showing elite units advancing on quad bikes, weaving between shattered trees and trenches after artillery has shredded the Russian front line. As some Russians chose to flee their positions, Ukrainian operators moved in, clearing remaining positions and eliminating the remaining defenders.

Among the dead, Ukrainians found a phone filled with messages and videos of Russian troops complaining of hunger, no rotation, and commanders ignoring their pleas. After securing the area and pushing the Russians out, the Ukrainians reinforced it with infantry under constant friendly fire support, turning this position in the forest into another forward base for continued movement deeper toward the Yunakivka highway.

As a result, Russian morale is collapsing fast, and those still in Yunakivka speak of constant drone attacks, dwindling supplies, and commanders ordering suicidal counterattacks in surrounding areas. One Russian soldier reportedly wrote before his position was hit that they lacked food, shells, and had lost all hope. Others have tried surrendering, but even that proves deadly. In one shocking video, two Russian soldiers attempted to surrender, walking toward Ukrainian lines with raised hands, only for their own drones to bomb them with dropped munitions before they could reach safety. 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.