What is happening at the front now

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that the situation at the front "has escalated". However, according to him, the defense forces of Ukraine are not only retreating under the pressure of the Russians, but are also advancing in some areas.

Golovkom emphasizes that Russia is trying to seize the strategic initiative and break through the front line. To do this, she concentrated her main efforts in several directions, creating a significant advantage in forces and means.

It should be noted that earlier President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainians managed to stabilize the situation at the front, but the Kremlin is preparing for a "big offensive" at the end of May - beginning of June.

According to the head of military intelligence, Kyryll Budanov, in a few weeks Ukraine will face a "difficult situation".

"In our opinion, a rather difficult situation awaits us in the near future. But it is not catastrophic, this must also be understood. Armageddon will not happen, as many are now beginning to say. But there will be problems from mid-May," he said in an interview with BBC Ukraine.

What is happening at the front now?

Where is Russia advancing?

General Syrsky emphasizes that the Russian army is attacking along the entire front line. But there are areas where she concentrated more efforts.

In particular, the Russian Federation actively operates in the Kupyansk direction - near the villages of Stelmakhivka and Berestov.

"The enemy had partial success there, but was stopped by the actions of our units," said Sirskyi.

On this part of the front, the Russian army is trying to push the Armed Forces of Ukraine away from the Kupyansk-Svatov road, as well as to reach the banks of the Oskil River.

Russian military bloggers reported on April 28 that the Russian Armed Forces managed to capture the village of Kislivka 20 km southeast of Kupyansk, but the Ukrainian analytical portal DeepState refutes this.

"The fighting in Kislivka continues, the enemy keeps up the pressure, but the village has not been captured," he emphasizes.

Also, Russia continues its offensive on the village of Terny in the Lyman direction, where it is trying to push the Defense Forces of Ukraine beyond the Black Stallion River.

On the Siversk direction, the Russian Federation is advancing in the area of ​​Belogorivka and Rozdolivka, where it is trying to break through and block Siversk in order to create conditions for the continuation of the offensive on Slovyansk.

"There are no successes, his progress in this direction has been stopped," said Sirskyi, the head.

In the Kramatorsk direction, Ivanovske and Chasiv Yar remain the hottest spots. Also, the Russians are trying to return Klishchiivka under their control and reach the border via the "Siverskyi Donets-Donbas" channel.

The Russians were able to get close to the canal only in one section - between Ivanivskyi and the Chasovoy Yar microdistrict called "Kvartal". Back in March, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced that it had completely captured the village of Ivanivske (the Russians call it by its old name - "Krasne"), but the Ukrainian side denies this.

In particular, Mykhailo Onufer, deputy commander of the battalion of the 5th separate assault brigade of the Armed Forces, in an interview with "Ukrainian Pravda" on April 29, emphasized that half of the village is still under the control of Ukrainians.

"Probably 50 to 50 (control over the village, - Ed.), everything happens in waves - somewhere they will sell, somewhere we will. In fact, the Russians are not very interested in keeping Ivanovske, it is a lowland. For them, this is just another way to get to the border of the Chasvoy Yar. But Chasiv Yar is no longer a secret for anyone, it's a height," he explained.

The most difficult situation is in the Pokrovsky and Kurakhiv directions.

According to Sirskyi, Russia has deployed up to four brigades here (approximately 20,000-25,000 troops) and is trying to develop an offensive west of Avdiivka and Maryinka, making its way to Pokrovsk and Kurakhovo.

In particular, the Russians managed to break through the defenses near Ocheretiny. This breakthrough forced the Ukrainians to withdraw from the border between the villages of Berdychi and Semenivka, which they had held for the past 2 months after leaving Avdiivka. This line was quite convenient for defense, as it passed along water obstacles - the Durnaya River and a number of ponds.

Now the Ukrainian line of defense has moved further west and passes only 30 km from the strategically important city of Pokrovsk.

"In general, the enemy achieved certain tactical successes in these directions, but could not gain operational advantages. Ukrainian troops are inflicting maximum losses on the enemy, both in terms of personnel and military equipment," General Sirskyi emphasizes.

He also informed that in order to strengthen the defense in these directions, to replace the units that suffered losses, the brigades that have regained combat capability are being moved.

In the Kurakhiv direction, the Armed Forces of Ukraine were forced to retreat from the village of Novomykhailivka (18 km southeast of Kurakhivka). The main danger here is that the Russians are approaching the road Vugledar - Kostyantynivka - Kurakhove. If they cut it, the situation with the garrison of Ukrainian troops holding Ugledar will be significantly complicated.

The Russian army is also trying to level the gains of the Ukrainians, which were achieved during the 2023 counteroffensive near the villages of Robotine and Staromayorske, and is also attacking the bridgehead of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Krynyky in the Kherson region.

"There is no success in any of the directions," assures the head Sirskyi.

However, Ukraine records an increase in the number and regrouping of Russian troops in the Kharkiv direction.

Where is Ukraine coming from?

According to Sirskyi, in some areas of the Armed Forces "it was possible to improve the tactical position".

In particular, the Ukrainians managed to improve their tactical position in the area of ​​Synkivka (Kupian direction) and Serebryan Forestry (Lyman direction).

"Moreover, in the direction of Kherson, our units managed to advance in the area of ​​Veletenskyi and establish control over the island of Nestryga," the head of the Armed Forces said.

The village of Veletenske on the right bank of the Dnieper is located 15 km southwest of Kherson and was liberated in November 2022.

However, between this village and the Russian-occupied left bank of the Kherson region in the Dnipro delta, there are a large number of floodplains and islands. For a long time, they were marked as a "gray zone", that is, none of the parties could take them under control.

Now, according to Sirskyi, the island of Nestryga has been completely liberated by Ukrainian troops.

Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesman for the Southern Defense Forces, explained that the de-occupation of this island has not a strategic, but a tactical significance. This is due to the fact that the Russians used it to establish firing positions and strike at populated areas on the right bank of the Kherson Region.

"This is primarily important for the quality of counter-sabotage measures. This location was freed from the possible presence of the enemy there," he said on the air of "Hromadsky radio".

According to Pletenchuk, this island is closer to the right bank of the Kherson region and was actually the last before the mouth of the Dnipro River.