Ukraine’s Armed Forces have made gains on two axes along the southern front, analysts said, with changes reported around Hulyaipole and Oleksandrivka. Russia’s military command claimed it had occupied Dobropillya and published footage purportedly from the settlement. Later, it emerged that Russian troops were not on the eastern bank of the Haichur River. Meanwhile, Ukrainian videos indicated that fighting had not yet reached the village.
In a new report, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says Ukraine’s Defense Forces have achieved gains on the southern and eastern fronts. Russia spread a false claim about the “occupation of Dobropillya,” but the institute’s assessment notes that is not the case.
Footage from Ukraine’s General Staff shows Ukrainian troops raising a flag in the settlement north of Hulyaipole. The video shows mostly intact homes, suggesting battles have not reached the village and Russian forces are still far away, analysts said.
According to ISW, Ukrainian troops have made progress in Dnipropetrovsk region (Oleksandrivka) and Zaporizhzhia region (Hulyaipole).
The report details the situation in Dobropillya, which Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed to have captured. Russian videos suggested forces had breached a fortified defensive node. However, other footage released by Ukraine’s General Staff showed the settlement is fully under Ukrainian control. Command reported that a sabotage group infiltrated the village but was neutralized.
On Oleksandrivka axis, ISW’s assessment draws on reporting by military observer Kostiantyn Mashovets and intelligence sources. It found that on November 30 Ukrainian forces began clearing the village of Ivanivka, northeast of Oleksandrivka. As of December 3, the village had been liberated, ISW wrote.
Analysts acknowledged Russian gains on the Lyman axis, with changes in positions north and northwest of Lyman. Russian troops also published combat footage from the southern outskirts of Yarova. There were additional advances near Siversk, Kostiantynivka and Novopavlivka, with Russian forces reaching the Solona River.
According to Ukraine’s General Staff, by the morning of December 5 there were 15 Russian assaults on the Hulyaipole axis and about 19 on the Oleksandrivka axis. The most attacks targeted Pokrovsk (52).
On December 4, an interview with the chief of Ukraine’s Assault Troops, Col. Valentyn Manko, shed light on the situation near Hulyaipole.
He said the 102nd Territorial Defense Brigade had held the line there for three years, and Russian forces managed to push positions northeast of the settlement. Assault units were then deployed to support the defenders and took up positions farther west due to manpower shortages to stem Russia’s advance.
