Russia’s war on Ukraine. 20.04.25
On the Kursk direction, the 51st and 137th Airborne Regiments of the 106th Airborne Division continue fighting for Oleshnia, while the 810th Separate Marines Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet is fighting for Hornal.
On the Belgorod direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Popovka and Demidovka.
On the Kharkiv direction, Russian forces attacked toward Zolochiv, near Lyptsi and Vovchansk.
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Vovchansk.
On the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces attempted to advance south of Zakhidne and to enter Mala Shapkivka from the southeast, and continued assaults near Kamyanka, Kindrashivka, Petropavlivka, Pishchane, Stepova Novoselivka, Zahryzove, Nova Kruhlyakivka, Nadiia, Hrekivka, and Olkhivka.
On the Lyman direction, Russian forces attacked near Novomykhailivka, Nove, Zelena Dolyna, Hlushchenkove, Kolodyazi, Yampolivka, and Torske.
On the Siversk direction, Russian forces attacked near Verkhnyokamianske and Spirne.
On the Kramatorsk direction, Russian forces attacked near Chasiv Yar, west of Andriivka, Bila Hora, Stupochky, and Ozaryanivka.
On the Toretsk direction, Russian forces advanced west of Toretsk and east of Dachne, attempted to advance from New York to Sukha Balka, and attacked near Dyliivka, Druzhba, Krymske, Sukha Balka, Oleksandropil, Valentynivka, and Leonidivka.
On the Pokrovsk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces advanced southwest of Lysivka, captured Novotoretske, advanced in the center of Myroliubivka, along the T0406 highway Pokrovsk–Mezhova northeast of Udachne, are fighting for Shevchenko, attempted to advance to the outskirts of Leontovychi, and attacked near Tarasivka, Svyrydonivka, Yelyzavetivka, Stara Mykolaivka, Myroliubivka, Vodyane Druhe, Novotoretske, Malynivka, Myrne, Promin, Stara Mykolaivka, Lysivka, Pishchane, Zvirove, Kotlyne, Novooleksandrivka, and Udachne.
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked in Udachne, Kotlyne, and Pishchane.
On the Novopavlivka direction, Russian forces continued assaults near Solone, Uspenivka, Kotlyarivka, Preobrazhenka, Bohdanivka, Konstyantynopil, and Andriivka.
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Solone and Bahatyr.
On the Huliaypole direction, Russian forces attacked toward Odradne, near Vesele, Dniproenerhiya, Pryvilne, Vilne Pole, and Novosilka.
On the Orikhiv direction, Russian forces continued assaults near Stepove, Mali Shcherbaky, Novoandriivka, Shcherbaky, and Mala Tokmachka.
General conclusion:
- The Russian military command designates the direction toward Kostyantynivka as the priority for the spring and summer offensive in 2025.
- All seven senior Russian naval officers of the Black Sea Fleet of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation left the occupied Sevastopol in early April 2025 in accordance with a new directive regarding the implementation of additional security measures. The number of patrols has been increased, and leaves for military personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation stationed in Crimea have been cancelled.
Change in the line of contact (LoC):
- There were 127 combat engagements on various fronts.
- On the Kharkiv direction, the enemy twice unsuccessfully attempted to advance in the areas of Vovchansk and Mala Shapkivka.
- On the Kupyansk direction, there were 7 Russian attacks by the occupiers. Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled enemy assault actions near Zahryzove, Kindrashivka, Nova Kruhlyakivka, and Petropavlivka.
- On the Lyman direction, there were 14 combat clashes. The enemy attempted to advance near Novomykhailivka, Nove, Yampolivka, as well as in the directions of Torske, Hrekivka, Hlushchenkove, Olhivka, and Zelena Dolyna.
- On the Siversk direction, 2 enemy attacks were repelled in the area of Verkhnyokamianske.
- On the Kramatorsk direction, the enemy carried out 7 attacks in the areas of Chasiv Yar, Stupochky, and Kurdyumivka.
- On the Toretsk direction, the enemy attacked Ukrainian units 18 times in the areas of Toretsk, Druzhba, Dachne, and toward Dyliivka.
- On the Pokrovsk direction, 39 enemy assault actions were stopped in the areas of Sukha Balka, Tarasivka, Vodyane Druhe, Yelyzavetivka, Promin, Lysivka, Novooleksandrivka, Preobrazhenka, Sribne, Bohdanivka, Troitske, Novotoretske, Svyrydonivka, Malynivka, Shevchenko, Zvirove, Uspenivka, Kotlyarivka, Andriivka, and toward Stara Mykolaivka.
- On the Novopavlivka direction, 12 enemy attacks were repelled in the areas of Pryvilne, Novosilka, and Konstyantynopil.
- On the Orikhiv direction, 3 attacks were repelled toward Mala Tokmachka and near Novoandriivka.
- On the Kursk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 20 attacks; the enemy also carried out 15 airstrikes.
- In the Black Sea-Azov naval operational area, the enemy naval group on combat duty consists of:
- Black Sea: 1 ship, including 1 cruise missile carrier; the total salvo is 6 cruise missiles.
- Mediterranean Sea: 2 ships, including 2 cruise missile carriers; the total salvo is 12 cruise missiles.
Supporting operation:
- There were no strikes.
Changes in the enemy disposition:
- Russian forces redeployed unidentified UAV units from the Kursk direction to the area near Kalynove on the Toretsk direction, which began operating toward Kostyantynivka.
- The 120th Artillery Brigade of the 41st Army operates near Lysivka.
- The 6th and 80th Tank Regiments of the 90th Tank Division of the 41st Army operate near Kotlyarivka.
- The 247th Air Assault Regiment of the 7th Air Assault Division operates near Stepove, and the 108th Air Assault Regiment of the 7th Air Assault Division is operating near Mali Shcherbaky.
Possible operation situation developments:
- The plan for the enemy’s spring-summer offensive campaign in the Southwestern Theater of Operations may be as follows: a simultaneous breakthrough towards Kostyantynivka and Druzhkivka from the south and southeast (from the direction of Toretsk and Vozdvyzhenka), as well as from the northeast (from the direction of Chasiv Yar), followed by an advance towards Kramatorsk from the south while simultaneously advancing towards Slovyansk with the forces of the 20th and 25th Combined Arms Armies of the “Zapad (West)” Operational Grouping through Lyman. Russian forces may attempt to advance near Kupyansk, Lyman, Novopavlivka, or toward the city of Zaporizhzhia. The Pokrovsk direction is viewed by Ukraine’s military-political leadership as the absolute priority for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Additionally, Russian forces intend to create a buffer zone in the north of Sumy Oblast and pose a threat to the city of Sumy in the coming months.
- In Sumy Oblast, key enemy objectives that could provide stability to a buffer zone may include the heights between Yunakivka and Khrapivshchyna, the wooded area to the northeast of Sumy from Radkivka to Mohrytsya, and the Psel River. Based on this, the enemy’s operational tasks in this direction may include taking control of the area of Bilovody – Loknia – Yunakivka – Yablunivka, seizing at least the eastern part of the wooded area west of Mohrytsya, and reaching the line of Velyka Rybytsya – Myropillya along the Psel River. The enemy may also attempt to break through from the border toward Vorozhba and Bilopillya and cut off the operational lateral route between Sumy and Novhorod-Siverskyi. The implementation of such a plan would require the enemy command to covertly deploy a strike force in the area of Tiotkino.
- A replacement of the airborne forces and naval infantry units with troops of the 14th and 44th Army Corps is expected soon. The highly mobile component of the Russian Armed Forces will be redeployed to Donbas or to Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
- On the Kupyansk direction, the command of the enemy’s “Zapad (West)” Operational Grouping will abandon active operations on its flanks and resume the offensive along the Svatove–Kupyansk road in the offensive zone of the 47th Tank Division of the 1st Tank Army. To this end, it is concentrating forces in the area of Kyslivka – Zatyshne – Nova Tarasivka – Tabaiivka and has already redeployed one motorized rifle regiment each from the 2nd Motorized Rifle Division and the 4th Tank Division of the 1st Tank Army to the Lyman direction. The enemy will demonstrate readiness to launch a frontal push against the “Khortytsia” OSG, thereby attempting to mislead the command of “Khortytsia” OSG regarding the true intent of its actions, aiming to complicate the maneuvering of OSG reserves simultaneously across two operational zones — in front of both the 6th Combined Arms Army and the 1st Tank Army of the enemy.
- On the Lyman direction, the command of the enemy’s “Zapad (West)” Operational Grouping will exert efforts to collapse the defense of “Khortytsia” OSG in front of the 3rd Motorized Rifle Division of the 20th Combined Arms Army. To achieve this, the 144th Motorized Rifle Division of the 20th Combined Arms Army will attempt at any cost to break through in a northwesterly direction from its bridgehead on the Chornyi Zherebets River to link up with the 4th Tank Division of the 1st Tank Army. The enemy will attempt to advance toward Karlivka from Nove and toward Drobysheve from Kolodyazi, seeking to reach and entrench along the Karlivka – Shandryholove – Drobysheve line, while simultaneously intensifying its offensive near Torske and advancing on Lyman from the east. The forward elements of the 25th Combined Arms Army will, in the near future, attempt to simultaneously force the Chornyi Zherebets River as close as possible to Zarichne and break through to its eastern part on the opposite bank of the river. The enemy command’s operational intent includes using the Oskil River as a flank cover for a further advance on Lyman and Sloviansk, as evidenced by intensive attacks from the bridgehead on the Chornyi Zherebets River in a northwesterly direction toward Borova and the shift of the main strike axis of the 20th Combined Arms Army from Lyman to Borova.
- The command of the enemy’s 3rd Combined Arms Army on the Siversk direction will create favorable conditions for the further seizure of the Sloviansk–Kramatorsk agglomeration during the summer campaign. For this, its forces will attempt to break through to the northern bank of the Siverskyi Donets River between Yampil and Hryhorivka, and from the southeast direction—toward Siversk.
- The operational plan of the 8th Combined Arms Army on the Kostyantynivka direction is to envelop the tactical group of the “Khortytsia” OSG, which is defending south of Kostyantynivka between Oleksandropil and Tarasivka from the flanks. The enemy aims to encircle and destroy this group or, if unable to do so, force it to withdraw from the area south of Kostyantynivka in a northwestern direction under the threat of encirclement. The ultimate goal of these actions is a two-pronged breakthrough from the southwest and southeast toward the area of Stepanivka – Berestok – Pleshchiivka – Yablunivka, followed by a simultaneous assault on Kostyantynivka from this area and from the direction of Chasiv Yar. After the reaching the Poltavka–Pleshchiivka line, the enemy’s 3rd Combined Arms Army, reinforced by an airborne forces group, will attempt a rapid breakthrough from the bridgehead on the Siverskyi Donets–Donbas canal in the Chasiv Yar area, advancing from the northeast toward Kostyantynivka.
Russian operational losses from 23.02.22 to 20.04.25
Personnel – almost 941,100 (+950);
Tanks – 10,677 (+1);
Armored combat vehicles – 22,271 (+5);
Artillery systems – 26,649 (+49);
Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 1,368 (0);
Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 1,139 (0);
Vehicles and fuel tanks – 45,274 (+112);
Aircraft – 370 (0);
Helicopters – 335 (0);
UAV operational and tactical level – 33,240 (+64);
Intercepted cruise missiles – 3,148 ()
Boats/ships – 29 (0).
Humanitarian + general:
- From the beginning of the day until 4 p.m., there were 46 Russian assault actions, President Zelensky reported.
- Since 10 a.m. on April 20, there has been an increase in Russian shelling and use of kamikaze drones at the front — the use of FPV drones by the Russian army has doubled, President Zelensky said, citing Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi.
- On the morning of Sunday, April 20, the bodies of a man and a woman were recovered from the rubble of a building in Kostyantynivka. The strike on the residential area of the city occurred on April 19. During the rubble clearing efforts, the enemy repeatedly shelled the work site, forcing temporary halts in operations.
- The Russian army carried out three consecutive FPV drone strikes near the vehicle of volunteer Yevhen Tkachov, who was evacuating civilians from the settlement of Zoria in Donetsk Oblast. A civilian woman was wounded in the strikes, and the volunteer’s vehicle was destroyed.
- On April 19, Russian occupiers killed two residents of Donetsk Oblast, and five others were wounded.
- In Kherson Oblast on April 19, one person was killed and four were wounded due to Russian aggression.
- Over the past day, the Russian army carried out 15 airstrikes on eight settlements in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. In total, the region suffered 389 strikes from various types of weapons.
- In the temporarily occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, about 20,000 children are involved in Russian youth propaganda movements aimed at destroying Ukrainian identity, said Ivan Fedorov, Head of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration. Over 19,000 schoolchildren from the temporarily occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia Oblast are members of the Russian movement “Movement of the First,” which was created to shape children’s worldview based on “traditional Russian values.” In “Yunarmiya,” a group supervised by the Russian Ministry of Defense that prepares personnel for the armed forces and special services, there are more than a thousand children.
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