Russia’s war on Ukraine. 17.11.25
Operational situation
On the Northern Slobozhansky direction, Russian forces conducted local attacks in Kursk and Sumy Oblasts.
On the Southern Slobozhansky direction, Russian forces attacked near Vovchansk, Synelnykove, in the direction of Obukhivka.
On the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces tried to advance east of Sadove, in the northeastern part of Kupyansk, attacked near Holubivka, in the direction of Dvorichanske, near Pishchane, Bohuslavka, Hrekivka, Druzhelyubivka, Cherneshchyna, in the direction of Borova, Novoplatonivka. The enemy simulates an advance, raising flags delivered to small groups by UAVs.
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Osynove and Zakhidne, are successfully pushing the enemy out of Kupyansk, control the city, and have cut enemy units in northern Kupyansk from logistics.
On the Lyman direction, Russian forces attacked near Shandryholove, Serednie, Korovyi Yar, Drobysheve, Derylove, Novyi Myr, Karpivka, Terny, Kolodyazi, Yampolivka, Zarichne, Yampil.
On the Sloviansk direction, Russian forces attacked near Serebrianka, Verkhnyokamianske, Vyimka, Pereyizne, Zvanivka.
On the Kostyantynivka direction, Russian forces advanced along highway C050702 Shakhove – Koptieve north of Volodymyrivka, attacked near Kostyantynivka, Mayske, Chasiv Yar, Minkivka, Predtechyne, Shcherbynivka, Pleshchiivka, in the direction of Berestok, near Rusyn Yar, Poltavka, Volodymyrivka, Sofiivka, in the direction of Novopavlivka.
On the Pokrovsk direction, Russian forces tried to advance near Shakhove, attacked toward Kucheriv Yar, near Nove Shakhove, Zaporizhzhia, Dorizhne, within and near Pokrovsk, in the direction of Hryshyne, Bilytske, near Rodynske, Krasnyi Lyman, Novoekonomichne, Rivne, Myrnohrad, Sukhyi Yar, Novopavlivka, Kotlyne, Udachne, Molodetske, Novopidhorodnie. Forward units of the enemy’s 1st, 5th, 39th, 110th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigades attacked Rodynske. The enemy is unable to hold due to constant counterattacks by Ukrainian Defense Forces. The village is a grey zone. Enemy Assault groups that operated from the direction of Chervonyi Lyman managed to break into the industrial zone north of the city and reach the road intersection south of Rodynske, where the enemy is trying to establish itself. One of the groups reached Rivne, bypassing Svitle from the west, but was later completely destroyed.
Infantry groups of the 114th and 132nd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigades of the 51st Combined Arms Army tried to counterattack in the directions Nykanorivka – Ivanivka and Maiak – Nove Shakhove in order to prevent further advance of forward units of Ukrainian Defense Forces into the rear of the enemy marine infantry units that are trying to advance from Shakhove and Volodymyrivka toward Sofiivka. Several small enemy infantry groups (up to 3–5 servicemen each) entered Ivanivka and Nove Shakhove.
The command of the enemy “Tsentr (Center)” Operational Grouping committed the 40th Separate Marine Brigade into battle in the western part of Shakhove, in the northern and central parts of Volodymyrivka. The enemy increased activity in the area of Rusyn Yar. It is anticipated that, in the near future, enemy forces may attempt to advance toward Sofiivka and Novopavlivka from the southern and southeastern directions.
Enemy engineering units are actively clearing and demining roads in their tactical rear in order to commit reserves, particularly on armored vehicles. In the offensive zone of the 51st Combined Arms, the T0504 road on the Novoekonomichne – Myrnohrad section and the Hrodivka – Myrnohrad road are being cleared to move assault groups to the northeastern outskirts of Myrnohrad.
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Hryshyne. In the area of Kotlyne the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade of Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled an enemy attack and by counterattack pushed the enemy back. Two assault groups of the 27th Motorized Rifle Division of the 2nd Combined Arms Army tried to advance along highway O0525, enter the village from the southeast and hold there, but were detected in time and partially destroyed. The remnants of the groups retreated and entrenched near the pond southeast of the village. The enemy failed to break through to Hryshyne from the direction of the Pokrovske industrial zone.
On the Oleksandrivka direction, Russian forces attacked near Novomykolayivka, Dachne, Filiya, Yalta, Zelenyi Hai, Andriivka-Klevtsove, Oleksandrohrad, Voskresenka, Vorone, Sosnivka, Orestopil, Stepove, Verbove, Oleksiivka.
Units of the 9th Army Corps of Ukrainian Defense Forces are clearing the area of Novopavlivka after the enemy raid. The “Rubikon” Center for Advanced UAV Technologies unit headquarters was destroyed in Avdiivka.
On the Huliaypole direction, Russian forces tried to advance west of Vesele, on the eastern outskirts of Zatyshshya, attacked toward Varvarivka, Dobropillya, Ternuvate, near Vyshneve, Rivnopillya, Pavlivka, Pryvilne, Yablukove, Zlahoda, Krasnohirske, Zelenyi Hai, Vysoke. The 38th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 35th Army regrouped from positions south of Huliaypole to reinforce efforts east of the city and was committed into the operation near Zelenyi Hai.
On the Orikhiv direction, Russian forces fought for Mala Tokmachka, attacked near Bilohirya, Stepnohirsk, Plavni, Prymorske, Stepove.
On the Prydniprovske direction, Russian forces attacked near the Antonivskyi bridge.
General conclusion:
Ukrainian Defense Forces are, for the first time in recent years, successfully preventing the enemy from capturing a settlement of the size of Kupyansk.
Russian forces maintain fire control over the main logistical routes to Siversk.
Russian forces near Kostyantynivka attempt to bypass Ukrainian positions by wearing civilian clothes, attack more often at night, and exploit deteriorating weather conditions.
The enemy continues active offensive actions in the operational zones of the 2nd and 51st Combined Arms Armies, attempting to push the 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of the Air Assault Forces of the Ukrainian Defense Forces from the Pokrovsk–Myrnohrad defense area.
Forces of the 51st Combined Arms Army continued their advance in the directions Krasnyi Lyman–Rodynske and Krasnyi Lyman–Myrnohrad, attempting to hold a bridgehead west of the Kazennyi Torets River to secure their flank.
In the offensive zone of the enemy’s 2nd Combined Arms Army, the direction of its main attack is gradually shifting to the left flank of its zone (the Udachne–Kotlyne line). North of Udachne, forward elements of the 15th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade advanced along a forest belt up to 1 km. Units of the 2nd Combined Arms Army stopped attacks on the Lysivka–Hnativka and Sukhyi Yar–Myrnohrad directions, instead concentrating efforts in the center of the army’s offensive zone (Pokrovsk itself) and on the left flank (Udachne–Kotlyne), trying to achieve a deeper envelopment of the entire Pokrovsk defense area from the west while fixing Ukrainian Defense Forces in Pokrovsk through urban combat.
In Pokrovsk, the enemy managed to infiltrate the city on a large scale, but its small groups in the northern part of the city are forced to fight almost encircled. At the same time, south of the railway, units of the 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of the Air Assault Forces of the Ukrainian Defense Forces fight in similar conditions. These battles are what blocked the advance of the main forces of the enemy’s 2nd Combined Arms Army toward Pokrovsk. The enemy constantly saturates the central, western, and southern parts of the city with assault infantry, UAV crews, and fire assets (mainly mortars).
The situation on the Huliaypole direction remains very difficult, Russian forces continue to advance and maintain a high offensive tempo, attempting to isolate Huliaypole from the northeast to enable a further assault from the east. The enemy is advancing toward Huliaypole and the T0401 Pokrovske–Huliaypole highway, which is the main logistical route for the Huliaypole defense area. The enemy reached positions about 8 km northeast of Huliaypole and approximately 4 km east of the city. The occupiers attempt to break through northwest of Huliaypole toward Varvarivka directly along the T0401 highway.
In the western part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian forces intensified their offensive and attempt to infiltrate the rear of the Defense Forces in small groups of two to three people, trying to move along the Kakhovka Reservoir. The enemy may increase the use of heavy combat equipment in winter.
Change in the line of contact (LoC):
There were 216 combat engagements on various fronts.
On the Northern Slobozhansky and Kursk directions, the enemy carried out 6 airstrikes.
On the Southern Slobozhansky direction, 6 combat engagements occurred near Vovchansk and in the directions of Dvorichanske and Obukhivka.
On the Kupyansk direction, 8 enemy attacks took place. Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled enemy assault actions in the areas of Pishchane, Kupyansk, Holubivka.
On the Lyman direction, the enemy attacked 23 times, trying to advance in the areas of Cherneshchyna, Novyi Myr, Hrekivka, Karpivka, Korovyi Yar, Drobysheve, Yampolivka, Terny, Zarichne, Novoselivka and in the direction of Lyman, Novoselivka, and Stavky.
On the Sloviansk direction, Ukrainian soldiers repelled 8 enemy attacks. Enemy units tried to advance in the areas of Yampil, Serebrianka, Fedorivka, Siversk, Vyimka, and Zvanivka.
On the Kostyantynivka direction, the enemy carried out 38 attacks in the areas of Mayske, Virolyubivka, Chasiv Yar, Kostyantynivka, Shcherbynivka, Pleshchiivka, Rusyn Yar, Stepanivka, Poltavka, Sofiivka and in the direction of Novopavlivka.
On the Pokrovsk direction, 75 assault and offensive actions of the aggressor were stopped in the areas of Volodymyrivka, Bilytske, Nove Shakhove, Nykanorivka, Chervonyi Lyman, Myrnohrad, Rodynske, Novoekonomichne, Pokrovsk, Sukhyi Yar, Kotlyne, Udachne, Shakhove, Molodetske, Novomykolayivka, Dachne, Filiya and in the direction of Novopidhorodnie, Hryshyne, Kucheriv Yar, Vilne.
On the Oleksandrivka direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 21 attacks near Zelenyi Hai, Yalta, Andriivka-Klevtsove, Oleksandrohrad, Voskresenka, Stepove, Sosnivka, Verbove, Oleksiivka, Pavlivka, Pryvilne, Krasnohirske, Zlahoda.
On the Huliaypole Direction, the enemy attacked 14 times near Dobropillya, Rivnopillya, Zelenyi Hai, Vesele, Bilohirya, Vysoke, Ternuvate and toward Zatyshshya.
On the Orikhiv Direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces stopped an enemy attack near Stepnohirsk.
On the Prydniprovske direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled an enemy attack in the direction of the Antonivskyi bridge.
Supporting operation:
Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out an airstrike on the Novokuybyshevsk Oil Refinery near the city of Samara, the Oryol thermal power plant, and a fuel transfer station in Donetsk Oblast.
Changes in the enemy disposition:
The 41st Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 72nd Motorized Rifle Division of the 44th Army Corps operates near Synelnykove.
The 80th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion of the 51st Combined Arms Army strikes Ukrainian troops with UAVs south of Pavlivka, the 238th Artillery Brigade of the 8th Combined Arms Army is active near Druzhkivka, and the 102nd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division fights near Sofiivka and Novopavlivka.
The 39th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 68th Army Corps and the 1st Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 51st Combined Arms Army advance on the Pokrovsk direction, the 5th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade operates in Myrnohrad, and the 68th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion of the 20th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Combined Arms Army strikes Ukrainian positions near Zatyshok.
The 16th Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Protection Brigade, the 14th Separate SOF Brigade, and the 218th Tank Regiment of the 127th Motorized Rifle Division of the 5th Combined Arms Army strike Ukrainian positions in the eastern part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
The 104th Air Assault Division strikes artillery firing positions and UAV control points of Orikhove with UAVs, and the 108th Air Assault Regiment of the 7th Air Assault Division operates near Prymorske.
The 215th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion and the UAV battalion of the 98th Air Assault Division strike Ukrainian troops in Kherson Oblast, the 70th Motorized Rifle Division of the 18th Combined Arms Army operates on the Kherson direction, and the 126th Coastal Defense Brigade of the 22nd Army Corps intercepts Ukrainian UAVs on the right bank of the Dnipro River.
Possible operation situation developments:
The Defense Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry assesses that while the enemy is unlikely to capture all of Donetsk Oblast by the end of 2025, it may reach the outskirts of Zaporizhzhia and the Sloviansk–Kramatorsk area by early winter. Additionally, if current fighting continues at the same pace, the enemy could possibly take control of Pokrovsk, Kostyantynivka, Druzhkivka, and Kupyansk no earlier than year’s end.
On the Kupyansk direction, the enemy’s 6th Army troops will be bypassing Kupyansk as deeply as possible in the general direction of the Chuhuiv– Kupyansk highway and will fight for the area of Mala Shapkivka–Velyka Shapkivka–Kindrashivka–Tyshchenkivka.
On the Lyman direction, the troops of the enemy’s 20th Combined Arms Army will attempt to reach the Siverskyi Donets River along the widest possible front, cut all main routes that do not cross the river, and block the town of Lyman from the northwest, for which they will advance toward the area of Yarova–Novoselivka–Drobysheve–Pryshyb. Ukrainian Defense Forces’ 11th Army Corps will continue to defend along the Novoselivka–Stavky line.
The enemy’s “Yug (South)” Operational Grouping will attack in the directions of Oleksiyevo-Druzhkivka and Druzhkivka, attempting to cut the H20 highway Kostyantynivka–Sloviansk, which will complicate the logistics of the Ukrainian Defense Forces’ 19th Army Corps in Kostyantynivka. The enemy will deliver concentric strikes simultaneously from Chasiv Yar, Toretsk, the Kleban-Byk Reservoir, and from the Poltavka–Novoolenivka line.
The command of the “Tsentr (Center)” Operational Grouping has clearly sensed the possibility of a relatively organized withdrawal of Ukrainian Defense Forces from the encirclement the enemy is creating, particularly from Myrnohrad. To prevent this, the aggressor is making efforts to achieve a deeper envelopment of the Pokrovsk defense area from the west, advancing north from the Udachne–Kotlyne line and attempting to break through toward Hryshyne. A withdrawal of Defense Forces elements from Myrnohrad to the Dobropillya area could affect the overall situation regarding its bridgehead west of the Kazennyi Torets. To prevent deterioration of the situation, the 51st Combined Arms Army will urgently organize and conduct counterattacks in the areas of Ivanivka and Nove Shakhove.
On the Oleksandrivka direction, the main operational-tactical objective of the command of the enemy’s “Vostok (East)” Operational Grouping is to envelop the Huliaypole defensive area from the north and block its main lines of communication, primarily from the Pokrovske side. The enemy will try to break through to the Khaychur River and to the Huliaypole–Pokrovske road on the Dobropillya–Varvarivka section and will attempt to reach Pokrovske directly from the southeast with the forces of the 36th Combined Arms Army and the right flank of the 5th Combined Arms Army.
On the Orikhiv direction, the “Dnepr” Operational Grouping will attempt to break through along the left bank of the Dnipro River from the Plavni – Kamianske line toward Stepnohirsk and from the Stepove – Mali Shcherbaky line in the northern direction.
On the Prydniprovske direction, the command of the enemy’s “Dnepr” Operational Grouping will continue trying to take control of most of the island zone in the Dnipro delta in the direction of Kherson, will try to create a tactical bridgehead on the right bank, and to eliminate the tactical bridgeheads of the 30th Marine Corps of Ukrainian Defense Forces in the area of the automobile and railway bridges near Antonivka.
Russian operational losses from 23.02.22 to 17.11.25
Personnel - almost 1,159 420 (+1,160);
Tanks – 11,355 (+2);
Armored combat vehicles ‒ 23,594 (+3);
Artillery systems – 34,486 (+17);
Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 1,544 (+1);
Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 1,246 (+2);
Vehicles and fuel tanks – 67,536 (+72);
Aircraft - 428 (0);
Helicopters – 347 (0);
UAV operational and tactical level – 81,499 (+213);
Intercepted cruise and other missiles – 3,940 (0);
Boats/ships – 29 (0).
Humanitarian + general:
From the evening of 16 November, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 128 strike UAVs of the Shahed, Gerbera, and other types. As of 09:00, Ukrainian air defense had shot down or suppressed 91 enemy UAVs, but impacts of both ballistic missiles were recorded at two locations and 32 strike UAV hits at 15 locations. The enemy attack continued, and Russian UAVs remained in Ukraine’s airspace.
During the night of 17 November, Russian forces shelled Balakliya in Kharkiv Oblast, delivering two missile strikes on residential buildings in the central part of the city. Three people were killed and 15 injured, including 4 children. Thirteen apartment buildings and 12 private houses, as well as a kindergarten, were damaged. In addition, the enemy carried out strikes on energy facilities in the oblast.
During the night of 17 November, the Russian Federation carried out UAV strikes on the port infrastructure of Odesa Oblast. As a result of the attack, port equipment and several civilian vessels located at the quays were damaged. One of the ports experienced power supply disruptions.
On the territory of the Izmail port, a Turkish-flagged tanker unloading liquefied gas was damaged as a result of a Russian attack. About three thousand tons of LNG remained on the vessel at the time of the strike. A large-scale fire broke out, and the crew was evacuated. In the Romanian villages of Plauru and Chatalchioi, located on the bank of the Danube opposite Ukrainian Izmail, an evacuation was announced due to the fire on the tanker.
As a result of the night shelling of critical infrastructure in Donetsk Oblast, about 30 thousand households were left without water supply and about 20 thousand without heat. Restoration work continues.
In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, night UAV strikes damaged railway infrastructure. No casualties.
Two people were killed and another injured as a result of Russian artillery shelling of the city of Nikopol on 17 November. Another woman was injured and hospitalized in moderate condition. Apartment buildings, shops, and a hair salon were damaged.
In the evening of 16 November, the occupiers attacked an emergency medical vehicle in Kherson with a UAV, injuring the driver and a paramedic.
Late in the evening of 16 November, enemy strike UAVs hit the residential sector of the settlement of Velykyi Burluk in Kupyansk District of Kharkiv Oblast, killing one man and injuring another. Fires broke out in two private residential houses and several outbuildings.
In the Lozova community of Kharkiv Oblast, following Russian strikes, the situation with heat supply is unstable; in particular, in the settlement of Lymanivka, there has been no electricity or heating for three days.
Of the roughly 7 million Ukrainians abroad as a result of the full-scale war, 4.6 million have temporary protection status in EU countries, said Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity Ilona Havronska. About 2 million people during 2022–2023 have already managed to leave and return.