In the Lyman direction, Russian forces continued to advance towards the Siverskyi Donets River from the northeast and have made significant progress in five different areas.

In the east, Russian forces continued to clear positions west of Stavky, and have advanced from the newly captured strongpoints in the forested gulley, down two parallel treelines on the tactical heights towards the Drobysheve - Zarichne Road.

To the west, the Russians began their attacks into Drobysheve. They made further progress in the forest northwest of the town, before Russian soldiers on motorbikes advanced down the road from Shandryholove, and entered the town. Positions were captured in the outermost buildings, and fighting is ongoing in the grey-zone further south. Additionally, Russian forces continued attacking from the Derylove area, where they were able to capture positions in three separate treelines on the tactical heights overlooking Drobysheve. Fighting is now underway for the agricultural buildings on the outskirts of the town.

Further west, Russian forces were able to cross the Nitrius River from the Drobysheve Fish Farm into Novoselivka. They established a foothold in the houses on Tsentralna Street and Ukrayinska Street, before pushing northwest towards the western part of the village. Other forces advanced north towards the centre of the village where they are attempting to squeeze the Ukrainians out from multiple directions. Heavy fighting continues here.

To the north, Russian forces managed to break through Ukrainian positions in the forests northwest of Novoselivka under heavy FAB, artillery, and drone cover, establishing control over additional positions there. They then went on to advance south, cutting the Novoselivka - Oleksandrivka road at the graveyard, while capturing further forested positions down the road to the northwest. Additionally, Russian FPV drone strikes on Ukrainian logistics and bridges has increased in intensity in this sector, complicating supply to critical parts of the frontline like Novoselivka.

In the north, Russian forces advance from their positions west of Shandryholove, into the forested gulley to the west, establishing full control over it. Additional positions were captured in the treeline to the northwest.

+ ~5.46 km² in favour of Russia.

In the Borova direction, Russian forces continued to advance towards Borivska Andriivka and have entered the village.

After securing the trench fortification on the tactical heights northeast of the village, Russian forces continued to improve their positions in the area. They secured another trench fortification, this time in the low-lying ground directly east of Boriivska Andriivka. From there they attacked the village from the north and northeast, establishing control over the eastern and central parts of it.

+ ~1.31 km² in favour of Russia.

In the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces continued their assault operations east of the Oskil River and have made new progress along the tactical heights towards the village of Pishchane.

Following the Ukrainian infiltration attempts into Stepova Novosilka and its surroundings last month, Russian forces began attempting to regain lost territory in this direction. Recently, they were able to recapture the trench strongpoints in the area of the destroyed railway overpass. From there the Russians advanced further west down the railway windbreaks, seizing further trench positions there and along the highway to the north.

+ ~2.78 km² in favour of Russia.

In the Kupyansk direction, both Russian and Ukrainian forces have advanced, with Ukrainian forces beginning attempts to cut off the Russians in Kupyansk City from the north.

Ukrainian forces advanced from their positions along the railway line, down a perpendicular treeline, and into two forested areas where they established control over new positions. Russian soldiers holding these areas hadn't properly consolidated, which made clearing them easier for the AFU. With this, Russian supply into Kupyansk is now constricted into a 2.4 km wide corridor.

Meanwhile, in Kupyansk itself, the Russians continued to advance. Following the withdrawal of most Ukrainian units in the north and centre of the city, Russian forces began advancing east on a wide front, clearing new residential areas, and entering the small industrial zone next to the railway line.

Additionally, Russian forces advanced in the southwestern suburbs of the city. They cleared additional parts of the low-rise residential areas, and entered the Yuvileynyi Microdistrict from the north, capturing at least six 5-story buildings. Other forces began attacking the western buidings of the microdistrict, increasing the grey zone slightly.

+ ~2.21 km² in favour of Ukraine.
+ ~0.67 km² in favour of Russia.

In the Vovchansk direction, over the past week, Russian forces continued to advance in and around Vovchansk City, and have made significant progress in its western suburbs.

Russian forces were able to clear the rest of the Vovchansk Oil Extraction Plant and consolidated their positions in the residential areas along the railway line. Further west, they pushed deeper into the western suburbs of the city, advancing southwest as far as T. Bulby Street.

Additionally, Russian forces continued to expand their zone of control in the Synelnykove Forest, advancing for more than 500 metres south towards the village of Synelnykove.

+ ~3.84 km² in favour of Russia.

In the Khotin direction, both Russian and Ukrainian forces are advancing, each taking new positions in and around the village of Oleksiivka.

After a series of assault operations were carried out, Ukrainian forces were able to enter the southern houses of Oleksiivka, and consolidate in the treeline to the southwest. Due to the earlier threat from the Ukrainian positions in the agricultural buildings on the western outskirts of the village, the Russians withdrew from the south and part of the centre of the settlement, allowing for the Ukrainians to advance further north and consolidate in new positions.

Since then, the Russians have continued their advance to the northwest, taking control over new positions in the gulley directly west of Oleksiivka. These advances forced the Ukrainians to withdraw from the agricultural buildings, back into the village of Andriivka.

+ ~1.79 km² in favour of Ukraine.
+ ~0.93 km² in favour of Russia.

Iskander launch from Kursk

No missiles have been detected in Ukrainian airspace yet

No Iskander threat. It was mixed up with Russian S-300/400 air defence activity.

German Defense Minister Boris Postorius has announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth approximately 500 million euros, as a part of 2 additional billion euros previously allocated in June 2025.

It will include the following:

Radar systems
Artillery systems
Precision-guided artillery ammunition
2 IRIS-T air defence systems with a large number of guided missiles
Other air defence systems
Patriot interceptors
Portable anti-aircraft systems
Anti-tank weapons
Modern communications equipment
Light weapons

Germany will also begin a project aimed at modernising already delivered weapons to extend their service life and adapt to changing war conditions. A memorandum of cooperation will also be signed between the defence industries of Germany and Ukraine.

Ukraine's Operational Command “South” announced that 2 Russian Iskander-M ballistic missiles impacted a training ground being used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, located in the "rear and relatively calm part" of Ukraine.

The strikes likely took place on Poltava Oblast. They did not comment on casualty figures, unlike previous statements on these attacks.

For the first time ever today, a Russian Grom-E1 rocket-powered glide-bomb impacted Mykolaiv City, approximately 49 km from the nearest Russian-controlled territory.

It was launched from a Russian Su-34 over the Black Sea, south of Russian-controlled Kherson Oblast. There were no civilian casualties, as per the Ukrainian Airforce.

Some are upset by yesterday's images in Moscow, but the reality is what it is. Russia intervened to help the former Syrian government fight terrorists and secure its position in the eastern Mediterranean. Between 2015 and 2020, the government regained more than half of the country, and it seemed that the Syrian state would prevail.
However, Russia's entry into the Syrian civil war also involved a series of decisions and reforms that the previous political regime in Damascus was unwilling to allow, so relations between Russia and Syria were not always cordial, despite what was intended to be shown. These relations began to deteriorate in 2024, with the worsening standard of living, rampant corruption, and the stagnation of the political regime. The start of the “Special Military Operation” in Ukraine in 2022 deprived Syria of Russian support to maintain military operations in the country. With its hands tied by Ukraine and unable to focus on another front, it is clear that Moscow sought an agreed exit for Al-Assad with Turkey to allow Jolani to come to power, and with Iran, whose power in the region had been diminished after setbacks in Lebanon and the bloodshed in Syria. Iran maintained good relations with Syria until the costs outweighed the benefits, prompting a withdrawal of its support to neighboring Iraq.
Israel did not participate in that agreement (Astana), but it did contribute until December 2024 to the fall of the previous Syrian political regime by attacking the allies of the resistance axis and supporting terrorist groups. After that, it has a free hand to occupy the rest of Quneitra and de facto control the demilitarized south of Syria.

For those who claim that the SAA had no will to fight and that Russia was not obliged to defend them, it should be noted that before November, the situation was irreversible with or without Russian help. The SAA commanders were either bribed or aware of the betrayal, abandoned their posts, and went into exile (specifically Suhayl al-Hasan and Ghiath Dalla) while the soldiers fought on the front lines. On the terrorist side, the commanders knew the plans, while the rank-and-file militants believed in a limited offensive.
In those days, Russia saved its image by eliminating more than a thousand terrorists with the limited air power it had, knowing in advance that it would not change the agreed situation and the end of the previous government.

Finally, playing devil's advocate, the fall of al-Assad allows Russia to more easily influence a weakened Syria that is more likely to reach agreements due to the new authorities' desperation to consolidate their power. However, pragmatism prevails over Moscow's preferences, which would prefer a secular government to an Islamist one in Syria. (Although more flexible than the previous one), so just as Al-Assad was betrayed, Jolani will also be betrayed when the agreements are not respected and Russia has freed itself from the war in Ukraine. But what is clear is that Russia will not abandon the eastern Mediterranean.

This is all part of the west's greater geopolitical strategy. They don't want to fight Russia directly, so they engage them through a proxy (Ukraine). This frees up other areas which they can focus on, such as China.

Its also part of the reason why Israel will always receive massive amounts of support - they operate in American interests (at least on the theatre-level) and will expand control over Syria and the West Bank. With Assad gone, Hezbollah's main supply routes from Iran are no longer usable to the same degree, and they can now successfully be starved with the help of the new Lebanese government.

Minority groups in southern Syria, especially the Druze, will always choose Israel over Jolani, further increasing Israeli and American influence in the region, and preventing Iran from building any form of proxy here.

It's all part of a larger plan by the west to dismantle opposing states that endanger their dying hegemony indirectly and silently, engaging with those who will do their bidding, but only as long as its worth it for them. Ukraine is a perfect example of this.

Gone are the times of publicly invading and overthrowing regimes, and promoting hegemony and modern imperialism. That isn't worth it, instead its easier and more convenient to go about things more quietly. The U.S. political system allows this as both parties have the same foreign policy goals in mind. They are able to keep America strong and stable on the inside, allowing for them to continue what they do best on the outside.

Globalisation is one of the reasons why it has to be done this way. One of America's biggest weaknesses is having to deal with everyone all at once. Their decline has meant they can only focus in on specific goals directly, which is why they need proxies. And that's without considering what could happen if people in the U.S. actually woke up and used their brains for once to look at the bigger picture - not just which party tells them they are right.

Of course, this isn't considering what Russia and China want. They too have the same selfish goals in mind, as with any great power throughout history. But the difference is that multipolarity currently favours China and Russia, while America requires unipolarity at this point.

Russia attempted a third mechanised assault in the Dobropillya direction yesterday. At least 24 units of armoured vehicles and tanks began moving down the road past Popiv Yar towards Volodymyrivka, however, unlike during the last two attacks, they didn't have the cover from fog and rain.

As a result, 13 vehicles were damaged and destroyed before they even reached the frontline, after they were covered by artillery and FPV drones from the 1st "Azov" Army Corps. All of this took place at around 7 km from the nearest Ukrainian-controlled territory.

It's currently unclear if the surviving 11 vehicles went on to achieve any success.