On the Kursk direction, Russian forces advanced east of Oleshnia.

Ukrainian Defense Forces attacked near Vodolaha.

On the Belgorod direction, fighting continues near Popovka and Demidovka.

On the Kharkiv direction, Russian forces continue shelling Ukrainian positions in Kharkiv Oblast, use the Easter ceasefire to build up forces, and continue carrying out UAV strikes.

On the Kupyansk direction, fighting continues near Mala Shapkivka, Kindrashivka, Stepova Novoselivka. Russian forces attacked near Petropavlivka, Nadiia, Nova Kruhlyakivka, Zahryzove, Olkhivka, and Hrekivka.

Ukrainian Defense Forces struck Russian troops near Zakhidne.

On the Lyman direction, Russian forces attacked near Myrne, used the ceasefire to regroup, concentrate assault groups in assembly areas near the front line, and clear passages through the Zherebets river. Fighting continued near Katerynivka. The enemy attacked near Novomykhailivka, Nove, Yampolivka, Hlushchenkove, Zelena Dolyna, and Torske.

Ukrainian Defense Forces struck Russian troops near Kreminna and Yampolivka.

On the Siversk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces attacked near Bilohorivka.

Russian forces attacked Verkhnyokamianske.

On the Kramatorsk direction, Russian forces attacked near Chasiv Yar, in the direction of Bila Hora and Stupochky, near Kurdyumivka.

On the Toretsk direction, Russian forces advanced east of Shcherbynivka, attacked near Druzhba, Sukha Balka, Toretsk, Dachne, and Dyliivka.

On the Pokrovsk direction, Russian forces attacked near Myroliubivka, Yelyzavetivka, Lysivka, Kotlyne, Udachne, near Malynivka, Tarasivka, Vodyane Druhe, Promin, Novotoretske, Svyrydonivka, in the direction of Stara Mykolaivka, near Shevchenkove, and Zvirove.

Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out several mortar strikes on enemy positions in Novotroitske and are holding their positions in Shevchenkove.

On the Novopavlivka direction, Russian forces attacked near Novooleksandrivka, Uspenivka, Preobrazhenka, Kotlyarivka, Sribne, Bohdanivka, Troitske, Andriivka, Konstyantynopil, and Rozlyv.

Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the enemy near Uspenivka, attacked near Bahatyr.

On the Huliaypole direction, Russian forces attacked near Skudne, in the direction of Odradne, near Pryvilne, and near Novosilka.

On the Orikhiv direction, Russian forces attacked near Mala Tokmachka, Stepove, and Novoandriivka.

Ukrainian Defense Forces shelled Russian positions in the area of Pyatykhatky.

General conclusion:

  • The enemy unilaterally declared a ceasefire, which it itself does not adhere to, having shelled the positions of Ukrainian Defense Forces 1,519 times in one day.
  • Russian forces advanced in the border areas of Kursk Oblast.
  • Chasiv Yar and the area to the northeast of the city remain the main strike direction of the enemy’s “Yug (South)” Operational Grouping. The greatest enemy activity is observed in the “Pivnichnyi” and “Novopivnichnyi” neighborhoods (towards the city cemetery), in the city center (towards the Dnipro pond), attempting to break through into the southern part of the city (towards Workshop No. 2 and the “Shevchenko” neighborhood), and to bypass the city to the south toward the village of Stupochky, operating on both sides of the Bakhmut–Pokrovsk highway. Forward enemy units also attempt to break through between Hryhorivka and Orikhovo-Vasylivka in a northwestern direction, attacking along the Hryhorivka–Mayske and Hryhorivka–Markove directions.
  • The command of the 3rd Army and the 98th Airborne Division clearly intends to break through to the forward approaches of Kostyantynivka and Druzhkivka and, as of today, has come closer to these cities compared to the groupings operating on the Toretsk and Pokrovsk directions.

Change in the line of contact (LoC):

  • There were 86 combat engagements on various fronts.
  • On the Kupyansk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled one enemy attack in the area of Holubivka.
  • On the Lyman direction, 11 Russian assault actions were stopped by Ukrainian Defense Forces near Nadiia, Myrne, Hrekivka, Katerynivka, Nove, and Yampolivka.
  • On the Siversk direction, the enemy conducted 2 offensive actions in the area of Bilohorivka and Ivano-Dariivka.
  • On the Kramatorsk direction, 4 Russian attempts to advance in the area of Chasiv Yar and toward Stupochky and Bila Hora were repelled.
  • On the Toretsk direction, the occupiers assaulted the positions of Ukrainian Defense Forces 8 times near Druzhba, Toretsk, and Leonidivka.
  • On the Pokrovsk direction, the enemy actively attacks Ukrainian Defense Forces, having carried out 36 offensive actions. Russian occupier activity was recorded in the areas of Sukha Balka, Myroliubivka, Yelyzavetivka, Lysivka, Kotlyne, Udachne, Novooleksandrivka, Uspenivka, Preobrazhenka, Andriivka, and Rozlyv.
  • On the Novopavlivka direction, Ukrainian units repelled 5 attacks in the area of Konstyantynopil, Skudne, and toward Odradne.
  • On the Orikhiv direction, Russian invaders advanced 4 times in the areas of Mala Tokmachka, Mali Shcherbaky, and Stepove.
  • On the Kursk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 14 enemy attacks.
  • 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:

  • The 204th Special Purpose Police Regiment “Akhmat” operates in the northwestern part of Belgorod Oblast.
  • The 78th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division of the 58th Army operates near Chasiv Yar. In addition, the 4th, 85th, and 88th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigades, several mobilization reserve regiments of the 3rd Army, the 6th Motorized Rifle Division and the 72nd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 3rd Army Corps, the 217th, 299th, and 331st Airborne Regiments of the 98th Airborne Division, and up to 18 armed formations from the so-called “Volunteer Assault Corps” conduct combat operations on the Kramatorsk direction. A motorized rifle regiment from the mobilization reserve of the 144th Motorized Rifle Division of the 20th Army, units of the 200th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 14th Army Corps, a combined tactical group of the 7th Military Base, and individual units of the 204th Special Purpose Police Regiment are also present on this direction.
  • The 33rd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 20th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Army operates near Tarasivka. The 1435th Motorized Rifle Regiment operates near Pishchane.
  • The 14th Separate SOF Brigade and the 36th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 29th Army operate near Bahatyr.
  • The 37th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 36th Army advances toward Shakhtarsk.

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.
  • On the Kramatorsk direction, the command of the enemy’s “Yug (South)” Operational Grouping and the 3rd Army, in particular, may soon change the direction of their main strike and shift it to the north of Chasiv Yar, launching an offensive on both sides of the Bakhmut–Sloviansk road along the Orikhovo-Vasylivka–Minkivka and Blahodatne–Pryvillya directions, which would allow them to break through to the forward approaches of Sloviansk directly from the southeast and create a real threat to the “Siversk” Operational Tactical Grouping (OTG) of Ukrainian Defense Forces by executing a deep flanking maneuver on its right flank. If the enemy manages to achieve operational surprise in these directions and advance to tactical depth, the situation in the Kolodyazi–Hryhorivka sector on the Lyman direction could radically deteriorate for the “Khortytsia” OSG.
  • 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 21.04.25

Personnel – almost 941,770 (+670);

Tanks – 10,679 (+2);

Armored combat vehicles – 22,273 (+2);

Artillery systems – 26,659 (+10);

Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 1,368 (0);

Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 1,139 (0);

Vehicles and fuel tanks – 45,324 (+50);

Aircraft – 370 (0);

Helicopters – 335 (0);

UAV operational and tactical level – 33,270 (+30);

Intercepted cruise missiles – 3,148 (0)

Boats/ships – 29 (0).

Humanitarian + general:

  • During the night of April 21, Russian forces struck Ukraine using an Oniks anti-ship cruise missile, two Kh-31P anti-radar missiles, as well as 96 Shahed-type strike drones and various types of decoy drones. As of 09:00, the downing of 42 strike UAVs has been confirmed. 47 enemy decoy drones were location-lost (with no negative consequences). As a result of the enemy attack, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Cherkasy Oblasts were affected.
  • Around 04:57 on Monday, April 21, Russian forces attacked Mykolaiv with two Kh-31P anti-radar missiles, with no damage or casualties. Russians also attacked Kherson Oblast with an Oniks anti-ship cruise missile. No casualties have been reported.
  • In Cherkasy Oblast, an infrastructure facility was damaged as a result of an attack by Russian strike drones.
  • As a result of the overnight drone attack in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a food enterprise caught fire and infrastructure was damaged; in Kharkiv Oblast, enemy drones hit a multi-storey residential building. Thirty-six apartments burned over an area of 1,600 square meters. There were no casualties — the building was uninhabited.
  • In the morning on Monday, Russian troops attacked a private household in a village of the Esman community in Sumy Oblast; a man was killed. The shelling began around 09:00. As a result of a shell impact, a neighboring house caught fire. The man went outside to extinguish the fire, and Russian troops struck again.
  • Over the past week, the enemy has significantly intensified shelling of settlements in Kherson Oblast. Moreover, the Russians have changed tactics: first, they drop aerial bombs and then shell the same area with artillery. This means that after the first strike, the situation remains dangerous, and therefore it is important not to leave shelter immediately.
  • In the morning of April 21, 2025, in Kherson Oblast, the Russian army attacked residents of the village of Bilozerka with a drone as they were walking down the street — an elderly woman was killed, two men were wounded.
  • The aggressor attacked the Nikopol district in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast throughout the day. UAVs and artillery were used. Nikopol, Myrivska, Pokrovska, Marhanetska, and Chervonohryhorivska communities came under fire. A 66-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman were injured.
  • Russian occupiers struck Kupyansk and Chuhuiv districts of Kharkiv Oblast over the past day, causing fires in houses and damaging a cargo truck and a crane truck.
  • In Kharkiv on Monday, April 21, an underground school for nearly 400 students was opened in a residential area of the Osnovianskyi district, far from the city center.
  • The driver of the 22nd Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Serhii Yeremieiev, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on April 21 by the 2nd Western District Military Court in Moscow (Russian Federation) on charges related to the incursion into Kursk Oblast.
  • “Ukrgazvydobuvannia” gas extraction company lost 50% of its gas production due to Russian attacks in February. More than half of the losses have been restored, according to the Naftogaz group. Naftogaz, in order to sustain the heating season and compensate for the losses, urgently imported 800 million cubic meters of gas, balanced the system, and began restoring damaged infrastructure.

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