Russia’s war on Ukraine. 25.01.2024

Operational situation

In the operational zone of the Ukrainian Operational-Strategic Group of Forces (OSG) “Khortytsia”, Ukrainian Defence Forces repelled 5 enemy attacks near Synkivka, where the enemy tried to break through the Ukrainian defenses. On the Lyman direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 6 attacks near Dibrova, Makiyivka, Serebryansk Forest. On the Bakhmut direction, Ukrainian troops repelled 5 enemy attacks near Vasyukivka, Bohdanivka, Ivanivske, and Klishchiivka, where the enemy made unsuccessful attempts to improve its tactical position.

In the “Tavriya” OSG operational zone on the Avdiivka direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 8 attacks near Avdiivka, Pervomaiske and Nevelske, where the enemy unsuccessfully attempted to break through the defense of the Ukrainian forces. On the Maryinka direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces continued holding back the enemy in the area of Heorhiivka and Novomykhailivka, where the occupiers, supported by aviation, made 9 unsuccessful attempts to improve their tactical position. On the Shakhtarsk direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 2 Russian attacks south of Zolota Nyva and east of Staromayorske. On the Zaporizhzhia direction, they repelled a Russian attack near Robotyne.

In the operational zone of the “Odesa” OSG on the Kherson direction, the enemy persists in its intention to dislodge Ukrainian units from bridgeheads on the left bank of the Dnipro. Over the course of the day, the adversary launched 7 unsuccessful assaults on our forces’ positions.

General conclusion:

• On the Bakhmut direction, the enemy regained its positions along the entire length of the railway, thus removing the threat of the “Khortytsia” OSG forces breaking through to the Bakhmut-Horlivka highway south of the city.
• The situation on the flanks of Avdiivka is more stable, allowing the “Tavriya” OSG forces to continue defending Avdiivka amid a constant shortage of ammunition and manpower.
• Russian forces are attempting to bypass Novomykhailivka from the south to attack the area near Vuhledar.

Change in the line of contact (LoC):  

• There were 50 combat engagements on various fronts.
• On the Kupyansk direction, Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups attempted to cross the international border between Russia and Ukraine in Kharkiv Oblast. Positional battles took place in the areas of Synkivka, Makiivka, Yampolivka, Terny, Torske, near the Serebryansk Forestry, Dibrova, and Hryhorivka.
• Although the Russian forces resumed its active actions on the Lyman direction, within two weeks, they failed to accomplish their operational tasks—breaking through to Terny and the outskirts of Makiyivka and cutting off the crucial rocade road Torske-Yampolivka-Terny-Nevske-Makiyivka. Overall, the efforts of the 20th and 35th Combined Arms Armies allowed the enemy to capture open fields in the direction of Terny and two gullies toward Zarichne. In the Makiyivka area, units of the 252nd Motorized Rifle Regiment and the 237th Tank Regiment of the 3rd Motorized Rifle Division were ousted from positions they had held since the last autumn.
• On the Bakhmut direction, positional battles persisted near Bilohorivka, Vyimka, Spirne, Vasyukivka, Bohdanivka, Ivanivske, Klishchiivka, and Shumy.
• In the area west and northwest of Bakhmut, the enemy seeks to get to the near approaches to Chasiv Yar, attacking through Bohdanivka and Ivanivske. As a result of the fighting, units of the 331st and 217th Airborne Regiments of the 98th Airborne Division left several positions in the Ivanivske area. The 72nd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 3rd Army Corps is actively attacking in the direction of Klishchiivka, east and south of Andriivka.
• On the Avdiivka direction, positional battles continue near Novobakhmutivka, Stepove, near the “Tsarska Okhota” restaurant, Severne, Tonenke, Vodyane, Pervomaiske, Nevelske, Heorhiivka, and Novomykhailivka. Intense battles persisted southwest of Kostiantynivka for control over heights 180 and 190.
• Russian shelling has destroyed most buildings in the southeast residential area of Avdiivka, and Russian forces continue shelling northwest of Avdiivka near Stepove, Berdychi, Novobakhmutivka, and Novokalynove. The 39th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 68th Army Corps, reinforced by the 1442nd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Russian Territorial Troops, persistently attempted to break through in two directions, trying to reach the near approaches of Kostiantynivka from the south, bypassing Novomykhailivka from the southwest, and to advance as deeply as possible along the Stepne–Solodke–Vodyane road. The “Tavriya” OSG units not only held their positions in the Kostiantynivka area but also significantly improved their tactical situation around Novomykhailivka, pushing the enemy back by 500–1500 meters across the entire defense sector.
• The advanced units of “Tavriya” OSG simultaneously counterattacked the enemy on several sectors and pushed them back: the enemy’s 30th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade was forced to retreat from positions north of Berdychi all the way to the railway. The enemy’s 132nd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade was repelled from positions south of Novokalynove in the direction of Krasnohorivka to the railway. The 255th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 20th Motorized Rifle Division and the 155th Separate Marines Brigade of the Russian Pacific Fleet were pushed back from positions northeast of Novomykhailivka.
• The “Tavriya” OSG units managed to slightly expand their control zone in the southern direction from Avdiivka by 80-100 meters and continue to create a threat of breakthrough to the enemy’s 1st and 55th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigades in the area of Opytne and Spartak.
• Berdyansk direction: on the adjacent flank of the 5th and 36th Armies (defense sectors of the 60th and 37th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigades, respectively), northeast of Zavitne Bazhannia, the units of “Tavriya” OSG managed to push the enemy back by 150 meters. This improvement enhances the prospects of defense in the area of Urozhaine, and the threat of the enemy advancing into the southern part of Urozhaine has been eliminated.
• Tokmak direction: “Tavriya” OSG units managed to improve the tactical situation south of Robotyne. They pushed back the units of the enemy 70th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division, which were trying to advance from Novoprokopivka north towards Robotyne, back to Novoprokopivka.
• Northwest of Verbove, the “Tavriya” OSG units, despite almost continuous pressure from the enemy 76th Air Assault Division, continue to hold 1.5-2 kilometers of the first line of the enemy’s main defense line, preventing Russian troops from fully restoring their position.
• In the defense sector of the 69th Separate Covering Brigade of the 35th Combined Arms Army, southwest of Myrne, advanced units of “Tavriya” OSG have penetrated up to 1 km deep into the enemy’s defense.
• Kherson direction: positional fighting continues near Krynky.
• In the Black Sea-Azov naval operational area, the enemy naval group on combat duty consists of:
  • Black Sea: 4 ships, including 2 cruise missile carriers. The total “Kalibr” missile salvo is 8 cruise missiles;
  • Azov Sea: 1 ship;
  • Mediterranean Sea: 2 ships, including 1 cruise missile carrier. The total “Kalibr” missile salvo is 8 cruise missiles.
• Russian forces have redeployed a large landing ship to Grafska Bay in Sevastopol, having camouflaged it.

Changes in enemy disposition:

• The 102nd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division and the 85th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 2nd Army Corps (the 8th Army) operate near Bakhmut, while the 200th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 14th Army Corps of the Russian Northern Fleet operates north of Bakhmut.
• A unit called “Aksai” from the enemy “Don” Volunteer Cossack Brigade” is active on the Kinburn Spit.

Possible operation situation developments:

• The Russian Federation plans to seize the entire Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts and part of Kharkiv Oblast up to the Oskil River by March 2024. Over the next 36 months, Russia intends to capture parts of Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv Oblasts.
• The entry of the enemy’s 57th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade into the Vuhledar area would signify the initiation of the operation aimed at breaching the Vuhledar salient held by the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

Russian operational losses from 24.02.22 to 25.01.24 

Personnel – almost 379,610 people (+950);

Tanks – 6,257 (+30);

Armored combat vehicles – 11,621 (+42);

Artillery systems – 9,067 (+59);

Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 972 (+1);

Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 660 (+1);

Vehicles and fuel tanks – 12,044 (+39);

Aircraft – 331 (0);

Helicopters – 324 (0);

UAV operational and tactical level – 7,033 (+35);

Intercepted cruise missiles – 1,844 (+2);

Boats/ships – 24 (0).

Humanitarian+general:

• According to information provided by the Situation Center of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Russian troops shelled 9 regions of Ukraine over the past day. A total of 114 towns and villages and 144 infrastructure objects were attacked with various types of weapons. 3 people were reported killed and 26 injured throughout the past day in different Oblasts of Ukraine. The number of casualties is being updated/clarified.
• During the night of January 25, Russian forces launched 14 Shahed-136/131 attack drones across Ukraine, with 11 of them being successfully destroyed by Ukrainian air defenses.
• During the night of January 25, in Odesa Oblast, 10 kamikaze drones were shot down and one was intercepted in Mykolaiv Oblast. The city of Odesa experienced two attacks, with impacts reported at a furniture manufacturing plant and drone debris falling on residential buildings, resulting in injuries to 6 people.
• In December 2023, there were 81 recorded cases of the use of Russian grenades containing poisonous substances. For the first time in December, the use of the RG-Vo grenade was documented. This grenade contains chloroacetophenone, a substance with asphyxiating properties, which is prohibited by the Geneva Protocol on the use of chemical and bacteriological weapons in warfare. The sample examined by representatives of the Center for Trophy and Prospective Armament Research was manufactured in 2023 at a plant that has been operational since the time of the Soviet Union.
• A young man with diabetes, Denys Berezhny, who was abducted by Russian occupation authorities, has been successfully returned from Crimea. During the occupation of Kherson, Denys, whose parents are hearing-impaired and unable to speak, was forcefully taken to a camp in Crimea by armed Russians. The young man endured 10 months of unfreedom, but thanks to the charitable organization Save Ukraine, he managed to return home.

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