Brief Frontline Report – May 29, 2025
Report by Marat Khairullin with illustrations by Mikhail Popov.
Oskol Direction
From the summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation: Units of the "West" group of forces, as a result of decisive actions, liberated the settlement of Stroyevka in the Kharkov region.
This is a small village on the border itself (30 residents). To the northwest, the Kamensky Yar ravine covers the path to the higher elevation of the opposite bank, where the settlements of Bologovka and Otradnoe are located, controlling the network of roads leading to the junction settlement of Kolodeznoye. Having reached these heights and pushed the enemy away from the state border, in this area, a turn to the southwest with an exit to the flank of the Kolodeznoye defense area is likely. This will make it possible to form a good bridgehead for the development of an offensive in a rocade direction (a path parallel to the front) to the southwest of the area.
Pokrovsk-Konstantinovka Direction
The report of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation:
Units of the "Southern" group of troops have decisively liberated the settlement of Gnatovka of the Donetsk People's Republic. (Gnatovka is spelled “Hnatovka” on the map*.)
Units of the "Center" group of troops have liberated the settlement of Shevchenko 1 of the Donetsk People's Republic as a result of decisive actions.
The most active section along the entire line of the SMO remains the junction of the "Southern" and "Center" groups of the Russian Armed Forces.
The village of Gnatovka, the cleansing of which began on 27.5.25, has been liberated from the Nazis.
After the cleansing of the settlement of Zarya, the line of combat contact in the Alexandropol - Shcherbinovka section will become almost straight, with an entry, with the right flank, into the rear of the settlement of Shcherbinovka.
In the way of the "Southern" group, there is a very complex fortified area of the enemy: Kleban-Byk - Konstantinovka - Dzerzhinsk (Toretsk), a very dense agglomeration located on rugged terrain, with many bodies of water, industrial enterprises, and a developed road network. The enemy has thoroughly fortified it and echeloned it. In the rear of this area, there is an even larger network of settlements from the city of Druzhkovka to the city of Slavyansk (north of Konstantinovka, above where the map cuts off).
For more than six months, fierce, grinding battles have been going on with the constant transition of positions "from hand to hand."
The task of overcoming this fortified area can not be solved by tactical actions. What is needed here is operational and tactical depth of planning and organization of interaction between two powerful groups of the RF Armed Forces. Recent well-coordinated actions suggest careful planning and effective inter-group cooperation, demonstrating the increased skill of Russian command and staff.
The liberation of Shevchenko 1 has at least two important goals: blocking the enemy forces' ability to maneuver men and equipment and outflanking the defenses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Novoekonomichnoe. At the same time, an assault on the Popov Yar area began, covering the area of deployment of enemy reserves.
At this stage, the actions of the "Center" grouping, in our opinion, are of a supportive role, but at any moment, if the situation changes, the roles can change.
The enemy, understanding the danger of the current situation, began to withdraw reserves to the combat area. The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is forced to withdraw units from the "hot directions": Kupyansk, Kherson, Sumy, as well as from its right flank near Pokrovsk, and even from Dzerzhinsk (Toretsk). The AFU 43rd artillery brigade, 32nd and 44th mechanized brigades, 12th Nazi brigade of Azov (banned in the Russian Federation*), 36th regiment of the National Guard, and 91st separate anti-tank battalion have been withdrawn to the reserve deployment line.
According to incoming information and assessment of the situation, the enemy is moving reserves to the line Shakhovo - Stepanovka. To the north is the city of Druzhkovka, through which a developed network of roads and a railway line pass. The rivers Kazennyi Torets (to the west) and Krivoy Torets (to the east) also join there. The upper reaches of these rivers pass through the lowlands in which the settlements of Shakhovo and Konstantinovka are located. On this line also lie the channels of the tributaries of these rivers - the Poltavka River and the Lozovaya River, near which the settlement of Stepanovka is located. In the valleys of these rivers, there is a network of radial paths (perpendicular to the front) of varying quality, which ensures secrecy and protection of movement, with the placement of combat guards and observation posts on the adjacent heights.
Apparently, the enemy's advanced reserve units have the task of occupying pre-equipped fall-back positions to stop the penetration of the Russian Armed Forces units in the direction of Novaya Poltavka - Rusin Yar and cutting the theater of military operations into two sections: Pokrovsky and Konstantinovsky. The remaining units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces will fill the positions of the Dobropolye - Sofievka - Konstantinovka defense line and strengthen the left flank (northeast) of the Pokrovsky defense node of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Despite the progress of the Russian Armed Forces, Marat is warning us here is still a lot of Ukrainian resistance n the Donetsk region particularly the Novaya Poltavka - Rusin Yar direction. Point well made.