Russia’s war on Ukraine. 26.01.26
Operational situation
On the Northern Slobozhansky Direction, enemy assault groups periodically attack in the Andriivka–Pysarivka, Varachyne–Korchakivka, Yablunivka–Khrapivshchyna, and Yunakivka–Maryine directions. The enemy advanced in the Andriivka area and captured the village. On all other Directions, the advance of the occupiers is blocked by Ukrainian Defense Forces. Fighting continues in the forested area north and northeast of the Sadky hamlet, where the enemy is attempting to take control of the northeastern part of the forest, advancing in the general Oleshnia–Sadky direction and east of the border.
On the Southern Slobozhansky Direction, Russian forces attacked near Prylipka, Starytsia, Izbytske, Vovchanski Khutory, Vovchansk, Kruhle, Chuhunivka, Khatnie, and Ambarne.
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near the southeastern outskirts of Vovchansk, Vilcha, Izbytske, Starytsia, and Vovchanski Khutory, and are fighting to hold Lyman and Vilcha, which significantly slows the enemy advance in the Hrafske and Symynivka directions. Starytsia remains a gray zone.
On the Kupyansk Direction, Russian forces advanced on the southeastern outskirts of Zahryzove, attacked near and inside Kupyansk, near Fyholivka and Pishchane, in the direction of Petropavlivka and Kurylivka, and near Serhiivka and Druzhelyubivka.
On the Sloviansk Direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces consolidated their positions along the railway line southeast of Lyman.
Russian forces attacked near Lyman, Novoselivka, Drobysheve, Kolodyazi, Zarichne, Torske, Dibrova, Zakitne, Riznykivka, Ozerne, Zvanivka, and Bondarne, in the direction of Nykyforivka.
On the Kostyantynivka Direction, Russian forces advanced along the T0504 Kostyantynivka–Pokrovsk highway west of Stupochky, attacked near and inside Kostyantynivka, near Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Markove, Kleban-Byk, Shcherbynivka, Pleshchiivka, Berestok, Illinivka, Yablunivka, Stepanivka, Rusyn Yar, Sofiivka, and Novopavlivka, in the direction of Pavlivka.
On the Pokrovsk Direction, Russian forces attacked in the direction of Kucheriv Yar, near Ivanivka, Shakhove, Toretske, Dorizhne, Pokrovsk, Hryshyne, in the direction of Shevchenkove, near Rodynske, Bilytske, Myrnohrad, Svitle, Kotlyne, Udachne, and Molodetske.
On the Oleksandrivka Direction, Russian forces advanced northeast of Filiya, attacked near Novopavlivka, Zelenyi Hai, and Krasnohirske.
On the Huliaypole Direction, Russian forces attacked near Huliaypole, Svyatopetrivka, Pryluky, Zelenyi, Varvarivka, Nove Zaporizhzhia, Dobropillya, Zlahoda, Solodke, Dorozhanka, in the direction of Zaliznychne.
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Huliaypole, Kosivtseve, and Bratske.
On the Orikhiv Direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces advanced on the southern outskirts of Mala Tokmachka.
Russian forces attacked near Myrne, Plavne, Prymorske, Stepove, Lukyanivske, Pavlivka, Novoyakovlivka, and Novoboykivske.
Supporting operation:
Ukrainian Defense Forces conducted UAV strikes against the Sloviansk Eco oil refinery in Sloviansk-na-Kubani, Krasnodar Krai, and the 220 kV Kirovska electrical substation in the city of Luhansk.
General conclusion:
On the Northern Slobozhansky Direction, forward units of the enemy “Sever (North)” Operational Grouping attempt to break through to the Pysarivka–Maryine line, that is, into effective tube artillery firing range for shelling the city of Sumy.
In the Vovchansk area, the enemy “Belgorod–Kharkiv” Tactical Group continues attempts to break through along the eastern bank of the Siverskyi Donets in the southern direction and advance as far as possible in the Vovchansk–Bilyi Kolodyaz Direction. Within the framework of implementing the “Sever (North)” Operational Grouping plan for further advance in the general Vovchansk–Velykyi Burluk direction, troops of the 6th Combined Arms Army and the 11th and 44th Army Corps, after capturing Synelnykove and Tsehelne, attempt to advance further south. Assault groups of the 128th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 44th Army Corps of the “Belgorod–Kharkiv” Tactical Group already conduct combat operations aimed at consolidating in Symynivka and Hrafske, attacking in the Lyman–Symynivka and Synelnykove–Hrafske directions. Attempting to advance in the general Vovchansk–Staryi Saltiv direction, the tactical group command is trying to secure the right flank of its main forces operating toward Bilyi Kolodyaz.
The 6th Combined Arms Army advances simultaneously on three directions, which does not allow it to concentrate efforts on any selected Direction. Significant reinforcement of the 6th Combined Arms Army with units and formations of the 11th, 14th, and 44th Army Corps has not changed the situation for the better. In addition to attempts to break through toward Velykyi Burluk, the army headquarters was forced to redeploy the 121st and 122nd Motorized Rifle Regiments of the 68th Motorized Rifle Division to the Kupyansk Direction.
The operational situation on the Velykyi Burluk direction for the troops of the 6th Combined Arms Army operating from the Milove axis and from the bridgehead on the Oskil River north of Kupyansk remains quite difficult, with a tendency toward deterioration. Forward units of the 6th Combined Arms Army managed to cut off the salient between their bridgehead on the Oskil and the penetration in the Milove area, advancing 7 to 7.5 km in some areas and reaching the Odradne–Dvorichanske line; however, further advance has stalled, although army troops simultaneously attempted to advance directly from the bridgehead in the Krasne Pershe–Novovasylivka and Dvorichna–Ridkodub Directions, and attacked in the Milove–Ambarne Direction with the aim of capturing the latter. Attempts to outflank from the north and south a fairly strong Armed Forces of Ukraine defensive node on this Direction in the Kolodyazne area were disrupted both by the resilient defense of Ukrainian forces on the aforementioned sectors and by a successful counterattack in Kupyansk.
The enemy “Sever (North)” Operational Grouping continues to operate on three operational-tactical Directions: Northern Slobozhansky, Southern Slobozhansky, and Velykyi Burluk. In 2025, the grouping performed the function of a reserve accumulator and ensured the main volume of formation and deployment of new divisions and corps. From a military-political point of view, a hidden task of the “Sever (North)” Operational Grouping may be the seizure of the maximum possible territory of Ukraine in Sumy and Kharkiv Oblasts for subsequent negotiations with the aim of exchanging it for territories in Donetsk Oblast that the enemy cannot capture.
Organizational changes have begun within the 20th Combined Arms Army of the enemy’s “Zapad (West)” Operational Grouping to streamline battalion structures. This process involves removing tank, self-propelled artillery, mortar, grenade launcher, anti-tank, reconnaissance, engineer-sapper, flamethrower, and medical units from their composition. Probable reasons include an acute shortage of personnel in assault units and a deficit of fuel and lubricants; information is being verified.
Change in the line of contact (LoC), directions of attacks and counterattacks:
There were 138 combat engagements on various fronts.
On the Northern Slobozhansky and Kursk directions, an enemy attack was repelled.
On the Southern Slobozhansky Direction, the enemy attempted nine times to break through defensive lines in the areas of Zelene, Vovchansk, Prylipka, and Starytsia, and in the direction of Izbytske.
On the Kupyansk Direction, seven enemy attacks occurred. Enemy assault actions in the direction of Pishchane and Petropavlivka were repelled.
On the Sloviansk Direction, fourteen attempts by the occupiers to advance were stopped in the areas of Serhiivka, Drobysheve, Kolodyazi, Novoselivka, Zarichne, and Platonivka, and in the direction of Yampil.
On the Kostyantynivka Direction, the enemy carried out eleven attacks near Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Pleshchiivka, Kleban-Byk, and Shcherbynivka, and in the direction of Bondarne, Kostyantynivka, and Sofiivka.
On the Pokrovsk Direction, forty-one enemy assault actions were stopped near Shakhove, Dorizhne, Rodynske, Myrnohrad, Pokrovsk, Kotlyne, Udachne, and Molodetske, and in the direction of Filiya and Novopavlivka.
On the Oleksandrivka Direction, the enemy carried out seven attacks in the areas of Zelenyi Hai, Sichneve, Verbove, and Krasnohirske, and in the direction of Nove Zaporizhzhia.
On the Huliaypole Direction, fourteen enemy attacks occurred in the areas of Solodke, Huliaypole, and Dorozhnyanka, and in the direction of Varvarivka, Zelene, and Pryluky.
On the Orikhiv Direction, two enemy attacks were repelled in the areas of Plavni and Stepove.
On the Prydniprovske Direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled an enemy attack in the direction of the Antonivskyi Bridge.
Changes in the enemy disposition:
The enemy “Sever (North)” Operational Grouping includes the 6th Combined Arms Army (68th and 69th Motorized Rifle Divisions), the 11th Army Corps (18th Motorized Rifle Division, 7th Separate Motorized Rifle Regiment), the 14th Army Corps (71st Motorized Rifle Division, 80th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade), and the 44th Army Corps (72nd Motorized Rifle Division, 128th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade).
The 27th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 1st Tank Army operates near Kupyansk.
The 4th Battalion of the 103rd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Combined Arms Army operates east of Berestok, while the 89th Tank Regiment of the 6th Motorized Rifle Division of the 3rd Army Corps delivers strikes against Ukrainian positions in Kostyantynivka.
Units of the 76th Air Assault Division operate in Hryshyne.
The 33rd BARS detachment operates in Kherson Oblast.
Possible operation situation developments:
On the Southern Slobozhanske Direction, the enemy will continue its attempts to capture Vovchansk with the forces of a tactical grouping (elements of the 6th Combined Arms Army, the 11th and the 44th Army Corps). These actions will slow the enemy’s advance along the eastern bank of the Siverskyi Donets to Bilyi Kolodyaz, Verkhnya Pysarivka and Buhayivka.
On the Kupyansk Direction, the enemy’s “Sever (North)” Operational Grouping will concentrate its efforts on seizing the eastern part of Kupyansk, attacking from the north, will attempt to push the Ukrainian Defense Forces’ 16th Army Corps south of the Kucherivka–Petropavlivka line, advancing toward Petropavlivka along the road from Vilshana and attacking the northeastern part of the city from the direction of Lyman Pershyi.
On the Sloviansk Direction, the enemy’s 20th Combined Arms Army will attempt to seize the Yarova–Novoselivka–Drobysheve–Pryshyb area and block the Lyman–Izium logistics route along the northern bank of the Siverskyi Donets River. Troops of the 20th and 25th Combined Arms Armies will advance north and east of Lyman with the aim of isolating the defense area of the 3rd Army Corps of Ukrainian Defense Forces around the city from the north and northwest in order to reach the Siverskyi Donets River south of the city in the Raihorodok–Zakytne sector. By maintaining a bridgehead on the Siverskyi Donets River, the 3rd Army Corps of Ukrainian Defense Forces will make it much more difficult for the enemy to conduct offensive actions towards Sloviansk from this direction. The 3rd Combined Arms Army will attempt to break through from the Dronivka–Siversk line to the Zakytne–Riznykivka–Kalenyky–Kryva Luka area, which will facilitate an offensive on Lyman by the troops of the 25th Combined Arms Army. Ukrainian Defense Forces will seek opportunities to slow the enemy’s advance along the southern bank of the Siverskyi Donets in the direction of Raihorodok and Sloviansk
On the Kostyantynivka Direction, the operational objective of Russian forces remains the destruction of the 9th and 10th Army Corps of Ukrainian Defense Forces, which oppose the enemy “Yug (South)” and “Tsentr (Center)” Operational Groupings, the capture of the Kostyantynivka–Druzhkivka agglomeration, and an advance from the south and southeast to the near approaches to Kramatorsk. This objective is being pursued using a sequential, phased envelopment strategy for the agglomeration, beginning with the occupation of Kostyantynivka as the first phase, followed by the capture of Druzhkivka as the second phase. In the near term, Tactical Group “Dzerzhynsk” will attempt to break through to the Stepanivka–Berestok line and subsequently to the Dovha Balka–Illinivka line and will attempt to seize the entire western part of Kostyantynivka along the western bank of the Kryvyi Torets River. Offensive actions by the Tactical Group are expected on the Yablunivka–Stepanivka, Oleksandro-Kalynove–Berestok, and Pleshchiivka–Berestok directions.
Tactical Group “Bakhmut” will consolidate in the southeastern part of Kostyantynivka and will attempt to break through to the eastern part of the city. Subsequently, the Tactical Group will attempt to advance to the northern and northwestern districts of Kostyantynivka and break through to the Izhevka–Virolyubivka line along the eastern bank of the Kryvyi Torets River. The Tactical Group will continue its offensive on the Oleksandro-Shultyne–Kostyantynivka and Predtechyne–Kostyantynivka Directions. A sharp increase in combat activity by the 70th Motorized Rifle Division of the 18th Combined Arms Army is also expected in the Chasiv Yar area and north of it on the Kalynivka–Virolyubivka Direction simultaneously with the breakthrough of Tactical Group “Bakhmut” units to the eastern part of Kostyantynivka. The likely direction of further advance is toward Kurtivka and Druzhkivka.
The Pokrovsk–Myrnohrad defense area of the 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of the Air Assault Forces of Ukrainian Defense Forces will be seized by the enemy by the end of January 2026. By capturing Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, the enemy gains the chance to launch an offensive toward Dobropillya and potentially break through rapidly, with the 2nd Combined Arms Army advancing from Pokrovsk and the 51st Combined Arms Army moving from the bridgehead on the Kazennyi Torets River. The command of the enemy “Tsentr (Center)” Operational Grouping will not be able to bypass/envelop the defense area of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the flanks, as the Defense Forces firmly hold the Vilne – Novyi Donbas line, leaving only a frontal offensive on Dobropillya, which will entail enormous losses.
On the Oleksandrivka and Huliaypole Directions, the enemy’s “Vostok (East)” Operational Grouping will advance on the widest possible front, attempting to maximally stretch the forces of Ukrainian Defense Forces and their reserves, and through active offensive actions by the 36th Combined Arms Army ensure, on the main strike direction toward Huliaypole, a maximum concentration of its own forces and assets in the zone of the 5th Combined Arms Army
The enemy will attempt to develop the offensive of the 5th Combined Arms Army in the general direction of Varvarivka–Verkhnya Tersa–Omelnyk. Considering that in the offensive zone of the 58th Combined Arms Army the enemy will advance northward along the Dnipro, has already reached the delta of the Konka River in the Prymorske area and has bypassed Stepnohirsk from the west and east, it will attempt to reach the defense line of the 17th Army Corps of Ukrainian Defense Forces along the Konka River on the Malokaterynivka–Komyshuvakha sector. The aggressor will attempt to cut the logistics of the 17th Army Corps of Ukrainian Defense Forces in Orikhiv and, with the troops of the 5th Combined Arms Army, the main forces of the 76th Air Assault Division and the 35th Combined Arms Army, break through to the near approaches to the city from the northeast, from the area north of Huliaypole, after which it will assault Orikhiv. The success of this plan directly depends on the ability of Ukrainian Defense Forces to stabilize the situation in Huliaypole.
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 26.01.26
Personnel - almost 1,235 060 (+1,020);
Tanks – 11,608 (+3);
Armored combat vehicles ‒ 23,951 (+1);
Artillery systems – 36644 (+32,);
Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 1,626 (+2);
Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 1,286 (0);
Vehicles and fuel tanks – 75,906 (+147);
Aircraft - 434 (0);
Helicopters – 347 (0);
UAV operational and tactical level – 115,813 (+917);
Intercepted cruise and other missiles – 4,205 (0);
Boats/ships – 30 (0).
Humanitarian + general:
On the night of 26 January, Russian invaders attacked Ukraine with 138 UAVs of the Shahed type, Gerbera, and other models, of which about 90 were Shaheds. According to Air Force Command data as of 08:00, air defense assets shot down or suppressed 110 enemy UAVs in the north and east of the country. Impacts by 21 strike UAVs were recorded at 11 locations, as well as the fall of debris at one location. As of 08:00, the attack was ongoing, and several enemy drones remained in the airspace.
On the night of 26 January, Russian occupation forces struck Zaporizhzhia, causing a fire at the impact site. According to Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration Head Ivan Fedorov, preliminary information indicates that no one was injured as a result of the enemy attack.
On the night of 24 January, facilities of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Preserve, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, sustained damage as a result of a massive Russian missile and drone attack on the capital of Ukraine. This occurred for the first time since the Second World War. According to the Director General, the blast wave shattered some windows and doors, and fragments of plaster finishes were damaged in a significant number of locations.
Over the past day, Russian forces deliberately shelled the Kherson thermal power plant using artillery and UAVs. Naftogaz Board Chairman Serhii Koretskyi stated that the enemy is trying to stop repairs at the only facility providing heat for tens of thousands of city residents.
On the evening of 26 January, Russian forces attacked the Industrialnyi district of Kharkiv, resulting in damage to residential multi-story buildings and a school. According to local authorities, as of 20:00, two people were reported injured.
On the evening of 26 January, the Russian army attacked Kryvyi Rih with UAVs, resulting in an impact on a multi-story residential building. A fire broke out at the strike site, and as of 20:00, a rescue operation was ongoing and information on casualties was being clarified.
Russian forces struck the single family home sector in the village of Mykhailo-Lukasheve, Zaporizhzhia district, with a UAV, wounding an 18-year-old woman. According to Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration Head Ivan Fedorov, the enemy attack was directed specifically at residential buildings in the settlement.
Russian occupation forces continue to employ tactics of remote mining of territories along the border areas of Sumy Oblast by dropping explosive devices from UAVs. According to Sumy Oblast State Administration Head Oleh Hryhorov, the enemy uses small light-colored bags with explosives that can detonate when approached or pressed.
In Kyiv, as of 26 January, more than 1,200 apartment buildings still have no heating following the latest massive Russian attacks on the capital.
As a result of nighttime enemy strikes on energy infrastructure, consumers in Kharkiv Oblast and Donetsk Oblast were left without power, and emergency restoration work is currently ongoing there. According to First Deputy Minister of Energy Artem Nekrasov as of 26 January, a significant electricity deficit persists in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, with emergency outages in effect, and a return to hourly schedules will be possible only after system stabilization. Hourly outage schedules for the population are currently applied across all regions of Ukraine, along with capacity restrictions for business and industry; residents of frontline and border territories remain without power for extended periods due to ongoing hostilities.
Hey, great read as always. Phew, makes my Pilates session seem easyer. Intense stuff.