Brief report from the front, May 23, 2025
Liberation of Radkovka and planned exit to the settlement of Komar. What next? Report by Marat Khairullin with illustrations by Mikhail Popov.
Kupyansk Direction
Message from the Russian Ministry of Defense: "As a result of decisive actions by units of the 'West' Group, the settlement of Radkovka in the Kharkov region has been liberated."
Radkovka is a small village. According to the 2001 census, its population was 39 people.
The village is situated on elevated terrain between the Kupyanka and Oskol rivers, on a flat high ground intersected by ravines. The main heights in the Radkovka-Kondrashevka sector reach 187 meters above sea level. To the southeast, there is a fairly steep descent toward the city of Kupyansk, with an elevation drop of up to 70 meters over 2 km.
Kupyansk is now open to fire control and support of Russian assault units as they advance into the city.
The village is traversed by the P-79 highway, connecting Kupyansk and Dvurechnaya. This long, convenient lateral road branches off radially in Kondrashovka (under Ukrainian Armed Forces control) as route S-211901, leading to Monachinovka (Ukrainian: Monachynivka, Monachynovka on the map, left of Doroshovka) and Shipovatoe (north of where the map cuts off, Ukrainian: Shypuvate)), deeper into enemy territory. Now, this supply route to Kupyansk and its forward positions has been severed. The enemy will have to use a detour through Bolshaya Shapovka-Kovalevka, which is three times longer (the next road to the west).
Radkovka is a small settlement, barely visible on the map, yet it provides a significant tactical advantage.
To our fighters—success, luck, and victory!
South Donetsk Direction
Russian assault units, continuing their offensive after the liberation of the settlement of Bogatyr (18.5.25), bypassed Otradnoe from the north and began clearing it. Photos and videos have emerged showing Russian flags in various areas of Otradnoe.
Utilizing the advantageous terrain in this area—specifically, the bend of the Volchya River, which flows east to west before making a near-90-degree turn south near the settlement of Filya, where it merges with the Mokrye Yaly River, dividing the region into two parts—the enemy has established fortified positions. Additionally, the Solenaya River, a tributary of the Volchya, flows into it from the north here. By using these riverbeds to cover their flanks, the enemy has developed strong defensive positions and halted the Russian advance from Velikaya Novosyolka northward.
Advancing along the radial route N-15 (Konstantinopol-Komar), Russian forward units are splitting the enemy’s defensive zone in the Komar-Dachnoe-Alekseevka sector, creating a deep southern envelopment of the enemy’s strong grouping along the Filya-Dachnoe-Alekseevka line. On the left flank of this sector, the enemy is attempting to hold back Russian assault groups near the settlement of Orekhovo, where Russian forces are advancing along the Zaporozhye-Troitskoe-Orekhovo line.
The advance of our units toward Komar will create conditions for the elimination of the heavily fortified enemy defensive zone in the Fedorovka-Komar-Otradnoe sector, where protracted positional battles have been ongoing for nearly a month and a half.
Thank you.
Great reporting keep it up and stay safe.