Brief Frontline Summary for May 16, 2025
Important Maneuvers on the Flanks. Report by Marat Khairullin with illustrations by Mikhail Popov.
Pokrovsk Direction
The presented schematic of the central sector of the Pokrovsk direction shows the configuration of the line of combat contact as of May 16, 2025.
The first ten days of May were marked by activity on the right flank of the sector: the settlements of Mirolyubovka and Mikhailovka were liberated, and a staging area was prepared for advancing toward Novoekonomichnoe, where the Armed Forces of Ukraine have a logistics hub connecting their flanks via the H-32 highway. Securing this hub would shorten the enemy's maneuverability.
The left flank of the central sector remained in deep defense for almost the entire month of April. The initiative belonged to the enemy, who attempted to eliminate the Kotlino salient—formed by the offensive actions of the Russian Armed Forces—through flanking attacks in the Pokrovsk-Shevchenko and Muravka-Uspenovka areas.
After exhausting the AFU in defensive battles and stretching their reserves, our army began cautiously pressuring the enemy's right flank. By the first third of May, the settlements of Troitskoye, Kotlyarovka, Novoaleksandrovka, and earlier Uspenovka, were liberated.
Currently, the most problematic area is Kotlyarovka—Pokrovskaya Mine, where the enemy has established a heavily fortified defensive zone. Securing Pokrovskaya Mine will allow our left flank to establish a key reference point for enveloping Pokrovsk from the west.
From the line of combat contact configuration, we can discern the tactical objective: severing the enemy's logistics along the H-32 highway on both its western and eastern stretches.
I do not believe the ongoing negotiations in Istanbul will affect the activity of our armed forces. In the near future, we will likely see further developments in this direction.
Southern Sector of the Donetsk Direction (V. Novoselovka)
Russian Defense Ministry Report: "Units of the 'East' Group have liberated the settlement of Volnoye Pole in the Donetsk People's Republic."
Throughout April 2025, the enemy in the Shevchenko area (Velikaya Novosyolka district) attempted to lure our units into a kill zone southeast of Shevchenko. The terrain, engineered fortifications, and pre-prepared fire systems allowed the Armed Forces of Ukraine command to feign a retreat along the Burlatskoye-Shevchenko road, aiming to inflict a devastating defeat on our forces with combined fire and hinder their escape.
The command of the Russian Armed Forces grouping in this sector uncovered the enemy's plan. Our assault units did not fall for the AFU's feigned retreat and held their positions.
Simultaneously, fire was directed at the enemy's flanks (north of Burlatskoye and in the Privolnoe-Volnoye Pole direction). Flanking attacks north of Burlatskoye and toward Privolnoe-Volnoye Pole created an envelopment of Shevchenko.
Securing Volnoye Pole opens the possibility of bypassing Shevchenko by moving northwest along the ravine and extending the encirclement line on the left flank of this sector.
Translation Note: When Russian is written by hand, the "г" (when typed) looks like a backwards "S," and the "и" looks like our "u." Also, the typed Russian "т" looks like a western "m" when it is written by hand. Lastly, the "д" turns into something that looks like a "d" in Russian script as well.
Great Sitrep!
Thank you for your meticulous work! It's been a while the Ukrainians seem as they have abandoned the super-duper NATO tactics they've been taught and failed miserably on the battlefield and, have switched to the older, Soviet era military tactics that have been proven to be far more than obsolete and surely more effective than the NATO's crap.