Main points
- Russian troops are conducting infiltrations in Sumy Oblast, in Kostyantynivka, near Oleksandrivka and Hulyaipol.
- The front line in the Hulyaipil direction remains dynamic with mixed positions on both sides.
In the Hulyaipil direction, the front line has a “porous” character / Photo General Staff
The occupiers are trying to “infiltrate” in various directions. Ukrainian forces are conducting limited counterattacks.
The Institute for the Study of War analyzed the situation on the battlefield. According to analysts, the occupiers continue to use infiltration tactics. There are no significant changes in the front lines.
Where are the Russians conducting infiltrations?
Russian troops conducted an infiltration in the Sumy region .
Geolocated footage published on April 24 shows Ukrainian forces striking a Russian position in the southeastern part of Kindrativka (north of the city of Sumy).
The occupiers continue to conduct infiltration missions in and around Kostyantynivka .
Geolocated footage published on April 25 and 26 shows the Defense Forces striking positions in the northeastern and southwestern parts of Kostyantynivka, as well as on the southern outskirts of the city, after the occupiers infiltrated there.
Geolocated footage from April 25 also shows Ukrainian forces striking positions in the eastern part of Dovha Balka and south of Stepanivka (both settlements southwest of Kostyantynivka) after Russians penetrated there.
Russian troops are consolidating in previously infiltrated areas in the Oleksandrivka direction , while Ukrainian forces continue counterattacks there.
Ukrainian military observer Kostyantyn Mashovets reported on April 26 that the occupiers hold Berezove and the southern part of Novohryhorivka (both settlements southeast of Oleksandrivka). Earlier, the Russian military command had deployed reinforcements to the Berezove and Novohryhorivka areas to prevent further advance of Ukrainian forces.
Mashovets also stated that Ukrainian forces had liberated Vorone (southeast of Oleksandrivka).
The front line in the Hulyaipol direction remains dynamic and unstable. To the west and northwest of Hulyaipol, Russian and Ukrainian positions are interspersed.
Mashovets reported on April 26 that Russian small infantry groups were operating west of Hulyaipilske (southwest of Hulyaipilske), between Hulyaipilske and Novoselivka (west of Hulyaipilske), west of Hirke (west of Hulyaipilske), west of Dobropilske, and near Verkhnia Tersa and Vozdvizhivka (all northwest of Hulyaipilske).
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces simultaneously hold positions northwest of Solodke (northeast of Hulyaipol), east of Dobropilly, east and south of Zaliznychne (west of Hulyaipol), and on the northwestern outskirts of Hulyaipol itself.
Mashovets' statements about the mixed positions of both sides demonstrate the “porous” nature of the front in the Hulyaipil direction and the lack of a continuous line of defense, which led to the mixed deployment of Ukrainian and Russian forces.
The military review also indicates that Russian forces likely infiltrated around existing Ukrainian positions west and northwest of Hulyaipol, in the central and eastern parts of Svyatopetrivka, and east and south of Zaliznychne, rather than capturing them as ISW previously assessed.
Combat operations in Ukraine / ISW maps
In which direction did the enemy focus the main attack?
Former SBU officer Ivan Stupak stated on Channel 24 that one of the problem areas of the front is now the Sumy region. About 350 square kilometers of territory are under Russian control there.
Stupak explained that the enemy's goal is not to attack Sumy, but to distract the Ukrainian General Staff.
The Russians are trying to stretch the front and force Ukraine to transfer people and equipment from other directions. According to the expert, the main priority of Russia remains the Donetsk region, in particular the area of Kostyantynivka, Pokrovska and Myrnograd. According to intelligence, about 20 thousand Russian reservists have been transferred there.
Major of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Volodymyr Nazarenko, in turn, states that in the Pokrovsky direction, the Russians are pressing daily and trying to infiltrate between Ukrainian positions in small groups.
According to the officer, the enemy compensates for the technological lag with a large number of infantry. Quickly trained mobilizers, mercenaries and convicts are thrown into battle, who are trained for only 2-4 weeks. They move through landings, dugouts and shelters, trying to push through the defense en masse. Nazarenko noted that most of such assaults are thwarted by the Defense Forces on the approach.