Ukrainian Defense Forces repositioned to new prepared lines near Myropilske, east of Sumy City, following sustained Russian pressure, Ukraine's 14th Army Corps reported on 13 April.
"As a result of intense combat, the enemy's superiority in forces and means, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, in order to preserve the lives of personnel, moved to new prepared lines, where they continue to hold defense," the corps stated. It added that Russian forces are being struck by "artillery units, unmanned systems units and other fire means," and that Ukrainian units "control the situation, conduct reconnaissance and are ready for further actions."
Open-source conflict tracker DeepState confirmed Russian advances near Myropilske, Maryine, and Novodmytrivka in Sumy district. A Russian milblogger separately claimed Russian forces had advanced into eastern Novodmytrivka, southeast of Sumy City, though the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessed the claim as unconfirmed.
Geolocated footage published 12 April showed Ukrainian forces striking Russian servicemembers east of Myropillya following what ISW assessed as an infiltration mission that "did not change the control of terrain or the forward edge of the battle area (FEBA) at this time." Russian forces also attacked north of Sumy City near Korchakivka, Kostiantynivka, and Kindrativka, and southeast of the city near Novodmytrivka and toward Taratutyne on April 12 and 13, according to ISW. A Russian milblogger claimed Ukrainian forces counterattacked near Mala Korchakivka and Myropilske.
Despite the tactical pressure, a Kremlin-affiliated milblogger warned on April 13 that Russian small-group infiltrators "are unable to control large areas of forest in northern Sumy Oblast due to frequent Ukrainian counterattacks," and that "it is premature to claim a near-term seizure of Krasnopillya," southeast of Sumy City.
ISW reported that elements of the Russian 15th Tank Regiment (69th Motorized Rifle Division, 6th Combined Arms Army, Leningrad Military District), the 34th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade (49th Combined Arms Army, Southern Military District), and the 74th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade (41st Combined Arms Army, Central Military District) are reportedly operating near Myropillya.
Russian recruitment falls 20% as Q1 2026 deaths rise to 25,000
Russia recruited between 800 and 1,000 soldiers per day in the first quarter of 2026, down from 1,000–1,200 per day in the same period of 2025 — a 20 percent year-on-year decline — according to an April 12 assessment by Janis Kluge, economist at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. The slowdown came despite regional signing bonuses rising 50 to 80 percent since mid-February 2026 in at least 12 Russian federal subjects, and average bonuses reaching a record 1.47 million rubles (roughly $19,300) in March 2026, ISW reported.
Kluge also assessed, based on Russian Finance Ministry data, that Russian authorities paid compensation to the families of approximately 25,000 killed soldiers in Q1 2026, up from roughly 20,000 in Q1 2025 and around 10,000 in Q1 2024. The figures were extrapolated from data covering 17 Russian federal subjects. ISW noted it is "unable to verify the underlying data and conclusions in Kluge's analysis," but said they are "consistent with multiple other indicators" of Russian recruiting and manpower challenges it has independently observed.
Ukraine's "I Want to Live" initiative reported on 6 April that the Russian Ministry of Defense recruited 940 soldiers per day in Q1 2026, totaling roughly 80,456 — below the 1,100–1,150 per day needed to meet its annual target of 409,000 contract soldiers, and insufficient to replace the roughly 85,290 casualties that Ukrainian General Staff data recorded during the same period.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on 10 April that Russian forces have likely begun committing strategic reserves to the battlefield to compensate for mounting casualties following successful Ukrainian counterattacks in the Oleksandrivka and Hulyaipole directions. ISW also reported that Russian forces have recently intensified forced covert mobilization efforts targeting businesses and universities.
