On the Northen Slobozhanske Direction, the enemy cannot advance in Bezsalivka, Varachyne, and Yunakivka.
On the Southern Slobozhansky direction, Russian forces attacked near Prylipka, Synelnykove, Vilcha, Vovchanski Khutory, Starytsia, in the direction of Izbytske, Obukhivka, and Kolodyazne,
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Lyman, Milove, and Khatnie.
On the Kupyansk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces advanced in the northern part of Petropavlivka, in the center of Kupyansk, and counterattacked in the southern part of the city.
Russian forces attacked near and inside Kupyansk, near Holubivka, in the direction of Kucherivka, Petropavlivka, Pishchane, Kurylivka, and Stepove, near Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi, fought for Novoplatonivka, and attempted to advance north of Nova Kruhlyakivka.
On the Lyman direction, Russian forces attacked near Lyman, Serednie, Novoselivka, Korovyi Yar, Drobyshcheve, and Zarichne.
On the Sloviansk direction, Russian forces attacked near and inside Siversk, near Dronivka, Serebrianka, Pazeno, Vasyukivka, and Sviato-Pokrovske.
On the Kostyantynivka direction, Russian forces advanced in the eastern part of Kostyantynivka, attacked near and inside the city, in the direction of Bondarne, near Oleksandro-Shultyne, Pleshchiivka, Kleban-Byk, Ivanopillya, Rusyn Yar, and Sofiivka, in the direction of Novopavlivka.
Ukrainian Defense Forces are operating in the western part of Pleshchiivka.
On the Pokrovsk direction, Russian forces advanced south of Kucheriv Yar, attempted to advance on the southern outskirts of Myrnohrad, north of Svitle, attacked in the direction of Toretske, near and inside Pokrovsk, near Hryshyne and Rodynske, in the direction of Bilytske, within Myrnohrad and Rivne, near Kotlyne, Molodetske, Udachne, and Zvirove, in the direction of Serhiivka.
Ukrainian Defense Forces advanced north of Udachne, in the eastern part of Myrnohrad, and struck an FP-2 UAV strike against an enemy troop concentration near Pokrovsk.
On the Oleksandrivka direction, Russian forces attacked near Novopavlivka, Filiya, Yalta, Oleksandrivka, Andriivka-Klevtsove, Zelenyi Hai, Ivanivka, Oleksiivka, Sosnivka, Verbove, Sichneve, and Krasnohirske.
Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled an enemy assault south of Novopavlivka.
On the Huliaypole Direction, Russian forces attempted to advance in the northern, northwestern, and central parts of Huliaypole, south of the city, east of Herasymivka, west of Pishchane, attacked near Zarichne, Dobropillya, Varvarivka, Andriivka, Solodke, Zlahoda, Yehorivka, Pryvilne, and Rybne.
On the Orikhiv direction, Russian forces attacked near Mala Tokmachka, Novoandriivka, Shcherbaky, Stepove, Stepnohirsk, and Prymorske, in the direction of Lukyanivske and Pavlivka.
On the Prydniprovske Direction, Russian forces attacked near Antonivka.
General conclusion:
Russian forces conduct assaults from the Vovchansk Oil Plant in the direction of Vovchanski Khutory, but engineering obstacles are slowing their advance, allowing Ukrainian Defense Forces to destroy the enemy with UAV and artillery strikes.
On the Lyman direction, Russian forces continue attempts to reach the outskirts of Lyman, taking advantage of poor weather conditions. A large number of African mercenaries have been observed in the aggressor’s units, communication with whom is complicated by language barriers. Such units are used in the first echelon to identify the fire positions of Ukrainian Defense Forces. The enemy continues to rely on numerical superiority to sustain intensive assaults.
On the Sloviansk direction, Russian forces have recently increased the intensity of their attacks to up to seven per day, continue to employ infiltration tactics, and conduct assaults with intensive support from artillery, UAVs, and airstrikes.
The increased frequency of infiltration missions in Kostyantynivka and Kramatorsk indicates attempts to avoid urban combat. The enemy increasingly employs unmanned ground vehicles on the battlefield.
On the Pokrovsk direction, Russian forces continue attempts to infiltrate the northern and eastern parts of Myrnohrad and are infiltrating near Svitle and Rivne. Enemy FPV drone strikes on movement routes have extended them by 4–7 km. UAV strikes by Ukrainian Defense Forces complicate enemy logistics to a depth of 10–15 km.
Change in the line of contact (LoC), directions of attacks and counterattacks:
There were 278 combat engagements on various fronts.
On the Northern Slobozhansky and Kursk directions, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 15 Russian attacks.
On the Southern Slobozhansky and Kursk directions, 9 enemy attacks were halted in the areas of Prylipka and Synelnykove and in the direction of Izbytske, Obukhivka, and Kolodyazne.
On the Kupyansk Direction, 24 enemy attacks occurred. Enemy assault actions toward Kupyansk, Petropavlivka, Kucherivka, Pishchane, Novoplatonivka, Holubivka, and Nova Kruhlyakivka were repelled.
On the Lyman direction, the enemy attacked 27 times, attempting to penetrate Ukrainian defenses in the area of Torske and in the direction of Lyman, Stepove, Korovyi Yar, Zarichne, Drobyshcheve, Novoselivka, Stavky, and Hlushchenkove..
On the Sloviansk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 6 enemy attacks in the areas of Siversk and Serebrianka and in the direction of Pazeno.
On the Kostyantynivka direction, the enemy carried out 25 attacks in the direction of Bondarne, near Pleshchiivka, Ivanopillya, Rusyn Yar, and Yablunivka, and in the direction of Sofiivka and Kostyantynivka.
On the Pokrovsk direction, 82 enemy assault actions were halted in the areas of Kotlyne, Udachne, and Pokrovsk and in the direction of Rivne, Myrnohrad, Rodynske, Hryshyne, Zvirove, Serhiivka, Novopavlivka, Filiya, Nove Shakhove, Dorizhne, Sukhetske, Vilne, and Ivanivka.
On the Oleksandrivka direction, the enemy carried out 20 attacks in the areas of Zelenyi Hai, Sichneve, Krasnohirske, Zlahoda, and Rybne and in the direction of Ivanivka, Iskra, Oleksandrohrad, Verbove, and Pryvilne.
On the Huliaypole Direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 28 Russian attacks in the area of Solodke and in the direction of Varvarivka and Huliaypole.
On the Orikhiv Direction, the enemy unsuccessfully attempted eight times to break through Ukrainian defenses in the areas of Shcherbaky and Stepove and in the directions of Mala Tokmachka, Novoandriivka, and Prymorske.
Supporting operation:
Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out UAV strikes against the Kamianske Chemical Plant in Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Rostov Oblast, the Sloviansk Oil Refinery in Sloviansk-na-Kubani, the airbase in Yeisk, and targets in Saratov and Engels. A column of an S-400 unit was struck near Raevka, Belgorod Oblast. Krasnodar Airport was closed.
Changes in the enemy disposition:
The 128th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 44th Army Corps operates near Vovchansk.
The 7th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 3rd Combined Arms Army operates in Siversk.
The 4th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 3rd Combined Arms Army strikes Ukrainian forces in the western part of Kostyantynivka. The 4th Battalion of the 103rd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Combined Arms Army strikes Ukrainian forces in the western part of Pleshchiivka. Units of the “Rubikon” Center of Advanced Unmanned Technologies coordinate glide bomb strikes against Druzhkivka.
The 5th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 51st Combined Arms Army operates in Myrnohrad, the 1st Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the army strikes Ukrainian forces on the outskirts of the city, and units of the “Rubikon” Center of Advanced Unmanned Technologies operate near Rodynske. Russian military command has withdrawn three regiments of the 76th Air Assault Division from its operational reserve for assaults in the direction of Hryshyne.
The 60th and 57th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigades of the 5th Combined Arms Army and the 14th Separate SOF Brigade strike Ukrainian forces in the western part of Huliaypole; the 37th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 36th Combined Arms Army intercepts Ukrainian UAVs near Rybne.
The 4th Military Base of the 58th Combined Arms Army strikes Ukrainian artillery north of Orikhove, the 270th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division of the 58th Combined Arms Army operates near Bilohirya, and the 247th Air Assault Regiment of the 7th Air Assault Division strikes Ukrainian positions in Stepnohirsk.
Possible operation situation developments:
The Defense Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry assesses that the enemy will not be able to capture all of Donetsk Oblast by the spring of 2026. 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 Southern Slobozhanske Direction, the enemy will attempt to break through in the area of Tsehelne toward the Vovchansk–Staryi Saltiv road and the highway to Rubizhne and will try to seize the southern part of Vovchansk with the forces of a tactical grouping formed from elements of the 6th Combined Arms Army, the 11th and the 44th Army Corps. The main forces of the 6th Combined Arms Army will advance from the Vovchansk–Bilyi Kolodyaz area and from the bridgehead on the Oskil through Hryhorivka along converging directions toward Velykyi Burluk, pushing Ukrainian Defense Forces out of the entire territory east of the Siverskyi Donets. Attacks toward Milove–Ambarne and a push toward Hryhorivka from the north are possible. To reduce the combat potential of the Defense Forces’ 16th Army Corps in the Vovchansk area, the enemy’s “Sever (North)” Operational Grouping command will intensify fire on the key supply routes leading to the Vovchansk and Velykyi Burluk areas from the west, southwest, and south, especially at the Siverskyi Donets crossings (the areas of Verkhnya Pysarivka, Staryi Saltiv, and Pechenihy). There is also a high likelihood of enemy strikes in the areas of Bilyi Kolodiaz, Velykyi Burluk, Rubizhne, and Buhayivka. The enemy’s theater-level command is preparing to reinforce the tactical grouping in the Vovchansk area with additional units of the 14th Army Corps and the 1st Tank Army of the “Zapad (West)” Operational Grouping.
On the Lyman direction, the troops of the enemy’s 20th Combined Arms Army will advance toward Shandryholove–Novoselivka and Zelena Dolyna–Drobysheve and will push into the Novoselivka–Drobysheve–Pryshyb–Yarova area, while simultaneously expanding its tactical bridgehead on the Nitrius River near the village of Serednie, in order to block Lyman from the northwest and cut all communications running along the Siverskyi Donets River toward Izium. The enemy may attempt an immediate crossing of the Siverskyi Donets in the Zakytne–Dronivka area, which will complicate the further defense of Siversk.
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–Yablunivka line. The enemy’s naval infantry grouping operating on the adjacent flank of the 8th and 51st Combined Arms Armies will attempt to break through from the southwest to the near approaches of Druzhkivka and Kostyantynivka, bypassing them from the west. The enemy’s 3rd Army Corps and the formations of the 8th Combined Arms Army will attempt to break through toward Kostyantynivka, reach the T0504 road, and ease their advance toward Kostyantynivka through Predtechyne and Stupochky. In the area southeast of Kostyantynivka, the enemy will attempt to create an informational pretext regarding a “successful start of the battle for the capture of Kostyantynivka” and will try to isolate the units of Ukrainian Defense Forces’ 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the 11th Army Corps, which continue to successfully defend the Chasiv Yar area, from the defense area in Kostyantynivka. The enemy’s “Yug (South)” Operational Grouping will break through to the Novodmytrivka–Chervone line in an attempt to completely collapse Ukrainian defenses in the Chasiv Yar area by applying pressure from the south.
The command of the “Tsentr (Center)” Operational Grouping in order to prevent the withdrawal of elements of the 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of the Air Assault Forces of the Ukrainian Defense Forces from the Pokrovsk–Myrnohrad bridgehead, will make efforts to achieve a deeper envelopment of the western flank of the Pokrovsk defense area, attacking northward from the Udachne–Kotlyne line and attempting to break through to Hryshyne. The withdrawal of elements of Ukrainian Defense Forces from Myrnohrad toward the Dobropillya area could affect the overall situation on the 51st Combined Arms Army bridgehead west of the Kazennyi Torets River. To prevent a deterioration of the situation there, the enemy would hastily organize and conduct counterattacks in the areas of Ivanivka and Nove Shakhove.
On the Oleksandrivka direction, the troops of the enemy’s “Vostok (East)” Operational Grouping will attempt to envelop the Huliaypole defensive area of Ukrainian Defense Forces from the north and block its main lines of communication. The troops of the 36th Combined Arms Army and elements of the right flank of the 5th Combined Arms Army will be breaking through toward Pokrovske from the southeast. The enemy will attempt to reach the Khaychur River and the Huliaypole–Pokrovske road on the Dobropillya–Varvarivka section.
Enemy forces of the “Vostok (East)” Operational Grouping on the Huliaypole Direction will bypass the Huliaypole defensive area from the north, breaking through on the Dobropillya–Varvarivka section, or will break through toward Pokrovske in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast from the south and southeast. At any moment, to exploit success, the 76th Air Assault Division or the 90th Tank Division of the 41st Combined Arms Army may be committed to the operation from the Oleksandrivka Direction. The enemy is capable of creating an operational breakthrough toward Novomykolayivka and of bypassing the Orikhiv defensive area from the north. Russian military command on the Southwestern Theater of Military Operations will attempt to collapse the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to the southeast of Zaporizhzhia and break through to its approaches. To achieve this, it will simultaneously advance toward Zaporizhzhia both from the east, from Donetsk along the Donetsk–Zaporizhzhia highway, and from the south. By active offensive actions in the area of Danylivka, the enemy will attempt to isolate the Ukrainian grouping in Huliaypole from its main forces in the Pokrovske–Oleksandrivka area, force the Khaychur River in the Danylivka–Dobropillya area, and encircle Huliaypole from the northwest.
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 aiming to reach close approaches to the city of Zaporizhzhia.
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 24.02.22 to 17.12.25
Personnel - almost 1,192 350 (+1,730);
Tanks – 11,427 (+6);
Armored combat vehicles ‒ 23,758 (+21);
Artillery systems – 35,205 (+33);
Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 1,571 (+1);
Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 1262 (+1);
Vehicles and fuel tanks - 70,361 (+179);
Aircraft - 432 (0);
Helicopters – 347 (0);
UAV operational and tactical level – 91,386 (+167);
Intercepted cruise and other missiles – 4,073 (0);
Boats/ships – 30 (0).
Humanitarian + general:
On the night of December 17, Russia attacked Ukraine with 69 UAVs of the Shahed, Gerbera, and other types; about 40 of them were Shahed-type. Ukrainian Air Defense Forces neutralized 37 enemy UAVs, while impacts by 29 strike UAVs were recorded at 12 locations. As of 09:00, the attack was ongoing, as several UAVs remained in the airspace.
On December 17, the enemy struck a heat generation facility in Kherson, causing possible disruptions to heat supply to residences. Overall, as a result of the shutdown of the Kherson CHP plant due to a Russian attack in previous days, more than 40,000 consumers currently remain without centralized heating. The City Military Administration has two thousand heaters, which are being distributed to vulnerable population categories. The most difficult situation with heat supply has been recorded in the Central and Dniprovskyi districts.
On the morning of December 17, Russian forces attacked Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Kharkiv Oblast, and Kherson Oblast, as a result of which four people were injured; another four SES rescuers were injured on the evening of December 16 in Druzhkivka in Donetsk Oblast due to an FPV drone strike on a tanker truck.
The Russian army attacked Mykolaiv with a Molniya drone, shattering windows in a nine-story residential building and damaging a bus.
During the day on December 17, Russian occupation forces carried out three guided aerial bomb strikes on Zaporizhzhia and Zaporizhzhia district. As a result of the attack, at least 32 people were injured, including one child. The Russians destroyed residential buildings and also damaged an educational institution and an infrastructure facility.
Throughout the day, Russian forces attacked the Nikopol and Kryvyi Rih districts of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast with artillery and UAVs. Explosions were reported in Nikopol, as well as in the Marhanets, Myriv, Pokrovske, and Chervonohryhorivka communities. A 63-year-old man was injured. As a result of the shelling, infrastructure, a kindergarten, four private houses, two outbuildings, a vehicle, and power lines were damaged.
Throughout December 17, 2025, Russian forces attacked populated areas of Kherson Oblast with artillery and UAVs, resulting in two people killed and four wounded, including a 59-year-old medical worker in the Dniprovskyi district of Kherson. Private and apartment buildings, as well as vehicles, were also damaged in the Oblast.
In the evening of December 16 at around 21:30, Russian forces attacked the Dniprovskyi district of Kherson with UAVs, as a result of which two men aged 37 and 38 were wounded and hospitalized.
In Odesa Oblast, most consumers who were left without power due to massive missile and drone attacks have already had electricity restored.
Ukraine returned 12 children and teenagers from temporarily occupied territory. Among them are a boy who had no access to life-saving medication and a girl whose sister was forcibly taken to a “recreation camp.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree establishing five military administrations in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and appointed their heads.