Ukraine's 129th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade liberated the village of Odradne in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast in a planned operation, the 16th Army Corps confirmed on 15 May. The brigade pushed Russian forces from the village and the surrounding terrain in the Kupiansk direction. Russia had occupied Odradne since 22 November 2025.
How the 129th Brigade cleared the village
The 129th Brigade reported on Facebook that its storm units conducted assault operations, inflicted fire damage on Russian positions, and pushed Russian troops out of treelines, fortified positions, and strongpoints. Storm units, UAV operators, and artillery worked in coordination to identify, strike, and destroy enemy manpower, fire assets, and shelters.
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22 km² recovered, 56 Russians killed
The 16th Army Corps put recovered territory at roughly 22 km², including the village itself, with 56 Russian troops killed in the operation. The corps said its assault groups, drone operators, and artillery worked together to clear fortified Russian positions in the area.
DeepState: "new tactics bring results"
Ukrainian OSINT monitoring project DeepState reported that "new tactics of war bring results," that Russian forces took significant losses in defense, and that those who could escape did so by fleeing. The project's map confirmed Ukrainian control of Odradne.
Ukraine’s 2026 goal: exhaust Russia, deny it breakthroughs, build reserves — top general says
Six months under Russian occupation
Russia had taken Odradne on 22 November 2025. The village sits in the Kupiansk direction, where Russia has spent more than three years and at least two combined-arms armies in a stalled offensive against the city of Kupiansk.
A wider slowdown
A day earlier, Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for Ukraine's Joint Forces Grouping, said Russia's push on Kupiansk from the north was losing effectiveness. Additionally, the ISW, in its 14 May assessment, reported that Ukrainian forces recently advanced in the Sloviansk direction in Donetsk Oblast.
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