Russia’s war on Ukraine. 22.04.25

April 23, 2025 8:14pm Reading Time: 14 minutes

On the Kursk direction, Russian forces attempted to push Ukrainian units out of all villages in Kursk Oblast; fighting continued in Hornal and near Oleshnia. The enemy’s 15th Separate Tank Brigade repelled an attack by Ukrainian Defense Forces near Goptarovka. The enemy attacked near Basivka, Novenke, and Zhuravka.

Enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups (up to 15 personnel) attempt to cross the international border in Sumy, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv Oblasts.

Ukrainian Defense Forces struck an enemy UAV position area near Tetkino.

On the Belgorod direction, Russian forces attempted to advance south of Demidovka.

Ukrainian Defense Forces continued attacks near Popovka and Demidovka.

On the Kharkiv direction, Russian forces used the Easter ceasefire to strengthen positions, rotate personnel, and prepare for assaults.

On the Kupyansk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces liberated the northwestern outskirts of Petropavlivka.

Russian forces attacked near Krasne Pershe, Holubivka, Hrekivka, Nadiia, unsuccessfully attempted to cross the Oskil River, and tried to advance southwest of Makiivka, southwest of Lozova, and continued attacks with small groups near Dvorichna.

On the Lyman direction, Russian forces advanced southeast of Yampolivka, attempted to enter Ridkodub, advanced southwest of Nove, north of Novomykhailivka, and attacked near Myrne, Kolodyazi, Torske, and Katerynivka.

Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked in Nove.

On the Siversk direction, Russian forces attacked near Bilohorivka and Ivano-Dariivka.

Ukrainian Defense Forces attacked near Bilohorivka.

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

On the Toretsk direction, Russian forces advanced on the southwestern outskirts of Toretsk, eastern outskirts of Dachne, attempted to advance near Krymske and Sukha Balka, attacked near Dyliivka, Druzhba, Shcherbynivka, and Leonidivka.

Ukrainian Defense Forces attacked near Sukha Balka.

On the Pokrovsk direction, Russian forces attempted to advance along the T0406 Pokrovsk–Udachne highway, toward the center of Myroliubivka, northeast of Kalynove, north and northeast of Lysivka, northeast of Kotlyne, attempted to capture Zvirove, and attacked near Yelyzavetivka, Shevchenkove, Novotoretske, and Udachne.

Ukrainian Defense Forces attacked near Tarasivka, Kotlyne, and Leontovychi, advanced south of Udachne, taking advantage of the enemy’s rotation of units during which experienced forces were replaced with newly formed units composed of recruits.

On the Novopavlivka direction, Russian forces captured Preobrazhenka, advanced toward the center of Orikhove, south of Troitske, west and southwest of Bohdanivka, west of Konstyantynopil, and attacked near Uspenivka, Kotlyarivka, Novooleksandrivka, Nadiivka, Preobrazhenka, and Rozlyv. They resumed attacks toward Bahatyr and Odradne.

Ukrainian Defense Forces attacked in the direction of Novopavlivka, conducted UAV strikes and shelled Russian positions near Uspenivka, and counterattacked near Bahatyr.

On the Huliaypole direction, Russian forces attacked near Vilne Pole, Novosilka, and Skudne, strengthened positions northwest of Mariupol in the Mykilske area, moved engineering equipment and construction materials, and prepared for defense.

On the Orikhiv direction, Russian forces attacked near Stepove, continued fighting near Mali Shcherbaky, Lobkove, and Mala Tokmachka.

The enemy used the Easter ceasefire to regroup, evacuate wounded, fortify positions, conduct reconnaissance, improve their positions, and transport reinforcements and ammunition from occupied Crimea through Prymorsk toward Tokmak and Polohy.

General conclusion:

Russian forces advanced near Lyman and Toretsk, continued attacks in the direction of Chasiv Yar and in the western part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Fighting continues in the border areas of Kursk Oblast and in the northwestern part of Belgorod Oblast.
Russian forces build up the system of engineering barriers north of the occupied Mariupol.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation removed mine barriers in many sectors of the front – both their own and those installed by Ukrainian Defense Forces – bringing up armored vehicles and artillery to areas they previously could not reach. If during the “ceasefire” the artillery mainly shelled supply routes and logistics facilities of Ukrainian Defense Forces, then from the night of April 21 intensive shelling of Ukrainian positions began.
During the “ceasefire,” the enemy completely or partially disrupted logistics for forward units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the Toretsk, Kramatorsk, Siversk, and Lyman directions. They established fire control over supply and evacuation routes, used artillery to destroy anti-drone nets positioned over key roads, and deployed additional electronic warfare systems. These EW assets allowed them to fully jam communications and significantly hinder UAV operations for several hours.

Change in the line of contact (LoC):

There were 165 combat engagements on various fronts.
On the Kupyansk direction, 2 enemy attacks took place. Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled assault actions near Petropavlivka and Zahryzove.
On the Lyman direction, the enemy attacked 25 times, attempting to advance near Nove, Nadiia, Novomykhailivka, Hrekivka, Myrne, Kolodyazi, Torske, and toward Novyi Myr and Zelena Dolyna.
On the Siversk direction, the enemy attacked twice in the areas of Verkhnyokamianske and Pereyizne.
On the Kramatorsk direction, 4 combat clashes were recorded near Vasyukivka, Chasiv Yar, Markove, and Stupochky.
On the Toretsk direction, the enemy conducted 23 attacks near Toretsk, Dyliivka, and Shcherbynivka.
On the Pokrovsk direction, 61 enemy assault and offensive actions were stopped near Sukha Balka, Myroliubivka, Yelyzavetivka, Sukhyi Yar, Vodyane Druhe, Kotlyne, Uspenivka, Novooleksandrivka, Nadiivka, Troitske, Tarasivka, Promin, Lysivka, Udachne, Preobrazhenka, Kotlyarivka, Andriivka, and toward Oleksandropil, Novopavlivka, and Berezivka.
On the Novopavlivka direction, the enemy attacked 19 times near Konstyantynopil, Vilne Pole, Pryvilne, Novosilka, Rozlyv, and toward Odradne.
On the Orikhiv direction, 3 enemy assaults were repelled in the directions of Stepove and Novodanylivka.
On the Prydniprovske direction, the enemy attacked twice without success.
On the Kursk direction, 21 combat clashes occurred. The enemy carried out 27 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: 3 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 11th Separate Air Assault Brigade operates near Hornal, the 177th Separate Marines Regiment of the Caspian Fleet is active near Guevo.
The 27th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 1st Tank Army attacks in Radkivtsi.
The 144th Motorized Rifle Division of the 20th Combined Arms Army operates near Ridkodub; the 16th Separate SOF Brigade is deployed in the Serebriansk Forest.
The 68th Tank Regiment of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division and the 20th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Combined Arms Army operate near Toretsk, Leonidivka, New York, Sukhа Balka, the 4th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 3rd Combined Arms Army operates in Dachne and near Dyliivka.
The 15th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 2nd Combined Arms Army operates on the outskirts of Udachne, the 3rd Separate SOF Brigade is active in Zvirove.
The 6th and 80th Tank Regiments of the 90th Tank Division of the 41st Combined Arms Army operate near Troitske, the 27th Motorized Rifle Division of the 2nd Combined Arms Army is engaged in Uspenivka.

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 22.04.25

Personnel – almost 943,060 (+1,130);

Tanks – 10,683 (+4);

Armored combat vehicles – 22,296 (+19);

Artillery systems – 26,689 (+26);

Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 1,367 (0);

Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 1,140 (+1);

Vehicles and fuel tanks – 45,458 (+134);

Aircraft – 370 (0);

Helicopters – 335 (0);

UAV operational and tactical level – 33,388 (+118);

Intercepted cruise missiles – 3,148 (0)

Boats/ships – 29 (0).

Humanitarian + general:

On the night of April 22, the Russians attacked Ukraine with 54 Shahed-type strike UAVs, as well as various types of decoy drones. As of 09:00, 38 strike UAVs had been confirmed shot down. Sixteen enemy decoy drones were lost from radar (without negative consequences). Odesa Oblast and Kyiv Oblast were affected by the Russian attack.
On the evening of Monday, April 21, the Russian army attacked Odesa with strike drones from the sea. The enemy struck residential areas in a densely populated district of Odesa. Civilian infrastructure, residential buildings, an educational institution, and vehicles were damaged, and fires broke out. Three people were injured.
In the Nikopol district of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, residential buildings, an administrative building, and power lines were damaged in a night-time kamikaze drone attack by Russia. In Synelnykove district, a car caught fire and a house was damaged.
In the Bucha district of Kyiv Oblast, six houses, four vehicles, garages, and a countryside recreation complex were damaged due to a Russian drone attack. A fire broke out at a construction site.
On April 22, Russian invaders struck the village of Horokhovatka in Kharkiv Oblast with a glide bomb, setting buildings on fire and injuring a man and a woman.
During the day on April 22, the enemy attacked Kupyansk with glide bombs. As a result of the attack using four guided aerial bombs, 55 private homes were destroyed or damaged. Seven people were injured.
In the morning of April 22, the Russian army struck the single family home sector of Myrnohrad, Donets Oblast. A 72-year-old local resident sustained fatal injuries in the shelling. At 12:30, an enemy FPV drone hit a civilian vehicle at the city entrance. A 63-year-old woman and a 75-year-old man were killed in the attack.
During the day on April 22, Russian forces struck Zaporizhzhia with two glide bombs. One hit an infrastructure facility, the other directly hit a densely populated area and a residential building. One person was killed, 38 people — including 7 children — were injured. An apartment building was damaged, and cars caught fire.
On April 22, between approximately 12:55 and 13:40, the Russian Armed Forces carried out a massive drone strike on Kharkiv using twelve strike UAVs. Civilian enterprises were damaged in three districts. In the Kyivskyi district, a drone hit the roadway, severely injuring a man who was driving. Fifteen vehicles and an administrative building were damaged. Nine people were injured and suffered acute shock.
After 12:00, a Russian drone struck the territory of one of the hospitals in downtown Kherson — six people were injured. Another person was wounded in a drone attack on a car in the Dnipro district of the city.
In the evening, the Russian army shelled the Central district of Kherson with artillery — a six-year-old girl sustained moderate injuries.
Over the past day, the Russians carried out 189 shelling attacks of the border areas of Sumy Oblast, resulting in 410 explosions being recorded. In one of the communities, one person was killed.
In Kharkiv, 256 school and kindergarten buildings damaged by Russian shelling have yet to be restored.
Russia is building up its Armed Forces and plans to mobilize another 300,000–400,000 troops by the end of 2025, said Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence.
In the temporarily occupied territories of Luhansk Oblast, Russian invaders destroyed crosses on the graves of Holodomor victims, according to the National Museum of the Holodomor. In the villages of Zaaidarivka, Rohove, and Aidar, crosses that had been installed to commemorate the tragedy of the Ukrainian people were cut down. This is not the first instance of the occupation authorities destroying monuments honoring victims of the communist regime’s crimes.

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