Russia's war on Ukraine. 06.05.25
Operational situation
On the Kursk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out a series of local attacks near Tetkino, Popovo-Lezhachi, and Novyi Put. There are ongoing firefights near the Tetkino railway station. Ukrainian forces try to isolate enemy units near Tetkino and throughout the Glushkovo district of Kursk Oblast, having destroyed the bridge over the Seym River between Zvannoe and Tetkino.
In Sumy Oblast, Russian forces attempted to advance in Loknia. The 83rd Separate Air Assault Brigade and the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 72nd Motorized Rifle Division of the 44th Army are fighting for Bilovody. Clashes continued near Vodolaha and Loknia.
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Bilovody.
On the Kharkiv direction, Russian forces advanced in the center of Vovchansk, attacked near Tykhe.
On the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces attacked near the international border towards Stroyivka, Novoosynovy, Olkhivka, near Holubivka, Petropavlivka, Pishchane, Hlushkivka, Zahryzove, Kopanky, Hrekivka, Tverdokhlibove.
On the Lyman direction, Russian forces attempted to advance south and southeast of Novyi, attacking near Novomykhailivka, Kolodyazi, Myrne, Lypove, towards Zelena Dolyna and Ridkodub.
On the Siversk direction, Russian forces advanced in the center of Hryhorivka, attacked near Verkhnyokamianske.
On the Kramatorsk direction, Russian forces continued assaults near Chasiv Yar, in the direction of Mayske, near Bila Hora, Stupochky, and Kurdyumivka.
On the Toretsk direction, Russian forces advanced southwest of Dyliivka, south of Nova Poltavka, in the eastern and southern parts of Myrne. The enemy tried to advance southwest of Toretsk, northwest of Tarasivka, west of Kalynivka, near Novoolenivka. The 150th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Army advanced near Romanivka. The 42nd Motorized Rifle Division of the 58th Army attacked in Stara Mykolaivka and Oleksandropil, clearing the area near Kalynivka. The division’s units are active on the Orikhiv and Toretsk directions. The 39th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 68th Army attacked in the direction of Malynivka, where it arrived from the Novopavlivka direction.
The enemy attacked near Toretsk, Dachne, Ozaryanivka, Sukha Balka, Vodyane Druhe, Yelyzavetivka, Hnativka, Druzhba, Novoolenivka, in the direction of Nova Poltavka.
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Hnativka.
On the Pokrovsk direction, Russian forces advanced on the southeast outskirts of Udachne, northeast of Kotlyne, attacked near Novotoretske, Myrolyubivka, Promin, Novoserhiyivka, Zvirove, Lysivka, Dachenske, Shevchenkove, Uspenivka. The enemy deployed anti-drone nets over the E50 Donetsk-Pokrovsk highway, using mesh tunnels for supply routes from Karlivka to Selydove and Novohrodivka.
Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed the enemy command post in Novohrodivka with a JDAM bomb strike.
On the Novopavlivka direction, Russian forces are trying to advance near Kotlyarivka, northwest of Troitske, near Fedorivka, attacked near Novoserhiyivka, Kotlyarivka, Novooleksandrivka, Bohdanivka, Pryvilne, Shevchenkove, Komar, in the direction of Novopil and Zeleny Pole, advanced to the T0518 highway Velyka Novosilka-Bahatyr northwest of Rozdolne, south of Novosilka, attacked near Konstyantynopil, Bahatyr, Oleksiivka, Andriivka, Odradne.
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Bahatyr and in the direction of Shakhtarsk.
On the Huliaypole direction, Russian forces conducted attacks near Vysoke.
On the Orikhiv direction, Russian forces advanced south of Mala Tokmachka, attacked near Novodanylivka, Stepove, Pyatykhatky, Novoandriivka, Shcherbaky, Maly Shcherbaky, Kamianske.
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked south of Pavlivka, their subversion and reconnaissance units are active near Mala Tokmachka.
General conclusion:
Ukrainian Defense Forces intensified drone, and artillery strikes on enemy positions near Tiotkino, using drones to disrupt Russian logistics in the area.
Russian forces have advanced near Vovchansk, Siversk, Toretsk, Kurakhove, and Velyka Novosilka.
Ukrainian Defense Forces maintain a limited presence in the northwestern part of Belgorod Oblast near Popovka and Demidovka.
On the Lyman direction, Russian forces have intensified reconnaissance. Ukrainian Defense Forces target enemy concentration areas with artillery and drones as they prepare for assaults, striking increasingly deeper into enemy rear. The enemy rarely uses armored vehicles in the Serebriansk Forest area.
The Russian military command considers the Toretsk direction a priority in the theater of operations.
Enemy attacks near Nova Poltavka are part of a broader plan to advance toward Myrnohrad and encircle Myrnohrad and Pokrovsk from the east and west.
Russian forces have shifted the main direction of their offensive on the Novopavlivka direction, attempting to reach the administrative border of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
The enemy may attempt to intensify efforts on the Toretsk direction and the eastern part of the Pokrovsk direction in order to eliminate the Defense Forces’ foothold southwest of Toretsk, which would facilitate an advance toward Kostyantynivka from the south and the envelopment of Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad.
Change in the line of contact (LoC):
There were 200 combat engagements on various fronts.
On the Kharkiv direction 4 combat engagements took place near Vovchansk.
On the Kupyansk direction, 5 enemy attacks occurred. Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled the enemy's assault in the direction of Zahryzove and towards Novoosynove and Hlushkivka.
On the Lyman direction, the enemy attacked 31 times, trying to advance near Hrekivka, Novomykhailivka, Nove, Kolodyazi, Myrne, Torske, and in the direction of Zelena Dolyna.
On the Kramatorsk direction, 4 enemy attacks were repelled near Chasiv Yar, Kurdyumivka, and in the direction of Bila Hora.
On the Toretsk direction, the enemy carried out 6 attacks in the areas of Toretsk and Ozaryanivka.
On the Pokrovsk direction, 78 Russian attacks were repelled in the areas of Sukha Balka, Stara Mykolaivka, Vodyane Druhe, Novotoretske, Shevchenkove, Udachne, Uspenivka, Troitske, Kotlyarivka, Bohdanivka, and Andriivka.
On the Novopavlivka direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 24 enemy assaults in the areas of Novopil, Novosilka, Pryvilne, Komar, and towards Odradne.
On the Huliaypole direction, the enemy attacked 7 times near Vysoke.
On the Orikhiv direction, the invaders carried out 14 attacks near Stepove, Mali Shcherbaky, Kamianske, and towards Novoandriivka and Novodanylivka.
On the Kursk direction, 18 attacks were repelled. The enemy carried out 12 aviation strikes.
In the Black Sea-Azov naval operational area, the enemy naval group on combat duty consists of:
Mediterranean Sea: 3 ships, including 1 cruise missile carrier; the total salvo is 8 cruise missiles.
Supporting operation:
Ukrainian Defense Forces struck targets in Lipetsk and Moscow Oblasts, disrupting the operations of the Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Zhukovsky, and Sheremetyevo airports (Moscow Oblast), Grabtsevo airport (Kaluga), as well as the airports in Saratov, Volgograd, Ivanovo, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Samara, Kazan, and Nizhnekamsk.
Changes in the enemy disposition:
The 217th and 331st Airborne Regiments of the 98th Airborne Division operate near Chasiv Yar, and the 6th Motorized Rifle Division of the 3rd Army Corps advances toward Kramatorsk.
The 56th Separate SOF Battalion of the 51st Combined Arms Army operates near Katerynivka.
The 38th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 35th Combined Arms Army operates in Chervone.
The 108th Air Assault Regiment of the 7th Air Assault Division operates near Mali Shcherbaky, and the 49th Separate Air Assault Brigade of the 58th Combined Arms Army operates near Kamianske.
The Russian military command deployed part of the forces from the 68th Army Corps and the 58th Combined Arms Army to the Toretsk direction from the Novopavlivka and Orikhiv directions.
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 command of the enemy’s “Yug (South)” Operational Grouping will continue its offensive on the Toretsk direction with two tactical groups — one in the Toretsk area (main group), and another in the Vozdvyzhenka area (group on a secondary direction). The first group will attempt a breakthrough toward Pleshchiivka, bypassing the Kleban-Byk reservoir from the east; the second will push toward the Novoolenivka area, bypassing the reservoir from the west along the Pokrovsk–Bakhmut highway. The enemy will attempt to outflank the prepared “Khortytsia” OSG defenses from the east, along lines based on a cascade of small reservoirs and ponds along the Bychok River, generally in the Toretsk–Kostyantynivka direction, aiming to reach the intermediate line Pleshchiivka–Bila Hora. Its forward units will attempt to advance through Shcherbynivka toward Pleshchiivka and along the Dachne–Dyliivka railway. In the near future, the enemy will focus on seizing Shcherbynivka and Novospaske. If unsuccessful, the main axis of the attack may shift to the zone of the 20th Motorized Rifle Division near Vozdvyzhenka, or the enemy may focus on dismantling the “Khortytsia” OSG’s defenses along the Siverskyi Donets–Donbas canal, advancing from south to north.
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.
In the near future, the command of the “Vostok (East)” Operational Grouping will begin regrouping forces and assets in the operational zones of the 5th and 36th Combined Arms Armies and reinforce them with additional troops from other directions.
Russian operational losses from 23.02.22 to 06.05.25
Personnel - almost 959,500 (+1,430);
Tanks – 10,766 (+3);
Armored combat vehicles – 22,416 (+5);
Artillery systems – 27,431 (+61);
Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 1,378 (+1);
Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 1,155 (0);
Vehicles and fuel tanks – 47,353 (+103);
Aircraft - 372 (0);
Helicopters – 335 (0);
UAV operational and tactical level – 35,142 (+145);
Intercepted cruise missiles – 3,196 (0)
Boats/ships – 29 (0).
Humanitarian + general:
Ukraine returned 205 defenders from Russian captivity. Among those released are members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the Navy, Air Force, Air Assault Forces, Territorial Defense Forces, as well as the National Guard of Ukraine and the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. This marks the fifth exchange this year and the 64th since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. In total, 4,757 Ukrainian citizens have been freed through negotiations and exchanges since March 2022, according to the Coordination Headquarters.
Since the evening of May 5, Russia has attacked Ukraine with 136 strike UAVs and decoy drones of other types. Ukrainian forces successfully destroyed 54 drones, while another 70 were lost from radar. As of 10:30 AM, one drone remained airborne. Kharkiv, Odesa, and Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts suffered damage as a result of the enemy attack.
During the night of May 6, Russian occupation forces conducted drone strikes on Odesa district. The attack destroyed civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings, and resulted in one fatality. Fires broke out in several locations.
During the night of May 6, Russian occupation forces launched a large-scale drone attack on Kharkiv. In just two hours, 20 strikes were recorded in various districts of the city. A private home caught fire in one area, and a major blaze broke out at one of the city’s largest markets in the Kyivskyi District. Four people were reported injured.
Overnight, Russian invaders attacked Dnipropetrovsk Oblast with guided aerial bombs (KABs), drones, and artillery. Infrastructure, an enterprise, and residential buildings were damaged in different districts. According to updated information, a morning drone strike on the Illarionivska community in Synelnykove Raion injured three men, two of whom were hospitalized.
On the morning of May 6, Russian occupiers struck the city of Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast seven times, killing one person and injuring two others—one of them critically. Preliminary information indicates all strikes targeted the industrial zone.
In Cherkasy, a civilian was injured and hospitalized in critical condition following a morning drone attack by Russian forces.
As a result of a Russian airstrike on the village of Starovirivka in Kupyansk district, Kharkiv Oblast, a teenager was injured and a private home was destroyed.
On May 6, around 11:00 AM, Russian forces shelled Komyshany in Kherson Oblast with artillery, killing a 55-year-old woman. They also struck the village of Chervonyi Yar in Kherson Oblast with a drone, resulting in one death and two injuries.
Around 5:30 PM, Russian forces launched a ballistic missile strike on civilian infrastructure in the suburbs of Sumy, killing three people, including a 6-year-old child.
On the evening of May 6, the Russian army carried out at least 13 drone strikes on Zaporizhzhia using strike UAVs. Multiple districts of the city sustained damage, and several fires broke out. A private home was destroyed, and preliminary reports suggest two people may be trapped under the rubble.
The Russian army damaged two of the three water pipelines supplying Kostyantynivka in Donetsk Oblast. These pipelines cannot be restored under current active combat conditions.