Major Updates on the Military Situation in Ukraine (January 3, 2025)
Donetsk Region
Kurakhove: Intense fighting continues. Russian forces have captured three factories and the industrial zone, advancing towards Petropavlivka. They report entering the eastern outskirts of Petropavlivka and securing most of Kurakhove, with only the outskirts requiring clearance.
Pokrovsk: Heavy fighting is reported in Novovasylivka, 10 km southwest of Pokrovsk. Russian forces are attempting to bypass the city and cut off Ukrainian supply lines. They are also leveling the front near Zelene, south of the city.
Toretsk (Dzerzhinsk): Russian forces are advancing north of the Central Market and attacking towards the spoil heaps of the No. 10 and Toretsk mines. They have also reportedly taken new positions in the northern part of Chasiv Yar, advancing up to 1.5 km and securing the railway station.
Vremivka Direction: Russian forces liberated Novyi Trud, Konstantinopolskoe (Ostrovskoe), Zelenovka, Novyi Komar, Novopustynka, Neskuchne, Novoolenivka, and Uspenovka. They also liberated around 10 sq km along the Huliaipole - Velyka Novosilka road and dislodged Ukrainian forces from Rozdolne. Russian forces liberated Makarivka on December 16th and gained control over the road between Huliaipole and Velyka Novosilka.
Other Advances: Russian forces report advances near Terny, Vozdvyzhenka, Novoukrainka, Uspenivka, Dalne, Sontsivka, Novoelizavetivka, Vovkove, and Shevchenko.
Zaporizhzhia Front: Russian actions in the western part of Belohiria, Polohy Raion, have become known.
Kharkiv Region
Bohodukhiv and Zolochiv Districts: Heavy shelling is reported, with Russian forces utilizing aviation and drones. Six explosions were reported in Bohodukhiv and 11 in Zolochiv.
Volchansk and Kupyansk: Russian forces launched a new offensive near Volchansk, crossing the Volchya River and establishing a bridgehead. Fighting continues near Kupyansk, with reports of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian positions.
Kursk Region
Sudzhansky District: Russian forces are making progress in the forests and near Leonidovo and Kurilovka. Ukrainian reserves, including foreign mercenaries, are reportedly being transferred to the region.
Advances: Russian forces report reaching Kurylivka, south of Sudzha, and making advances in the northern Sudzha district and near Cherkasskaya Konopelka. They also liberated Pogrebki, Russkoye Porechnoye, Kamyshovka, Lozova, and Novovasylivka.
Krasnolimansky Direction
Ivanovka: A buildup of Russian forces is noted on the newly formed bridgehead on the right bank of the Zherebets River. They are attempting to capture heights beyond Ivanovka near Terny.
Zahryzove: Russian forces are storming Zahryzove, pushing through defenses near Lozova and Zelenyi Hai, and moving towards Borova.
Terny: Russian forces advanced in the central part of Terny.
Drone Warfare
Extensive Use: Both sides are extensively using drones for reconnaissance, targeting, and attack missions.
Ukrainian Air Defenses: Reported shooting down 60 out of 93 Russian drones launched overnight, with 26 "locationally lost" due to active countermeasures. They also report shooting down numerous other drones across various regions.
Russian Drone Attacks: New reports of drone threats in multiple Ukrainian oblasts, including Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Cherkasy, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Zhytomyr, and Kirovohrad.
Ukrainian Drone Attacks on Russia: Numerous drones destroyed over Voronezh, Bryansk, Rostov, Kaluga, Kursk, Orlov, Belgorod, Volgograd, and Lipetsk regions.
Other Significant Developments
Potential Collapse of Ukrainian Defense: The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) reports that the West does not rule out an early collapse of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' defense and notes a decline in Ukraine's ability to resist the Russian army.
Mobilization Age in Ukraine: The SVR also reports that a decision has been prepared to reduce the mobilization age to 18 in Ukraine and will be made soon.
Refugee Crisis: Eastern European countries are preparing to receive new waves of Ukrainian refugees after the mobilization age is lowered.
Transnistria: All industrial enterprises in Transnistria have reportedly ceased operations due to a lack of energy resources following the cessation of Russian gas supplies.
Oil Depot Strikes: Ukrainian forces struck another oil depot of the Russian occupiers, "Yartsevskaya" in the Smolensk region.
Captured Equipment: Russian forces captured an "International MaxxPro" and a "Kozak" armored vehicle from Ukrainian forces.
Black Sea: One Russian missile carrier is present in the Black Sea, but without Kalibr missiles. No enemy ships are observed in the Azov Sea.
Drone attacks on Sumy: Rescuers showed the aftermath of a Russian drone attack on Sumy. The drone hit a two-story house, causing a fire. An elderly couple lived in the house. Fortunately, no one was injured. Firefighters also rescued a dog.
FPV Drones: In the Kursk border area, reconnaissance of the Anvar special forces is operating, which has a lot of different FPV drones. These are fiber-optic drones, radio-controlled drones, and drones with AI, said the commander of the reconnaissance detachment with the call sign Beret to RT military commander Alexander Yaremchuk. At 01:00 and 01:26 - this is the current situation in the border area and this is how the enemy behaves. At 02:01 - the scouts send a "bird" with fiber optics to the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is useless to influence it with electronic warfare. At 02:47, 02:51, 02:56 - successful operation of drones.
Russian drone and artillery attack: The combined operation of the UAV and D-30 howitzer crews of the Russian Armed Forces to destroy a mortar crew and a Armed Forces of Ukraine ammunition depot near the village of Orekhov in the Zaporozhye direction.
Ukrainian POV on Europe wanting to return Ukrainian non-working refugees: Europe wants to return home Ukrainians who do not work and do not pay taxes, - President Zelenskyy. "I tell them, look, let's put it this way: a little more air defense and I'll say - come back everyone. But I will return everyone, not just those who do not work for you. And they say: no, let those who work for us work, and let this part return," - the President.
Ukrainian drone attack preparation: Ukraine is preparing to hit Moscow with its own Trembita missiles, - The Telegraph. Cost - about $10,000 per unit; Length - 2 m, weight - 90 kg; Capable of carrying 18 kg of explosives at a distance of up to 144 km.
Drone attacks on Belgorod: In the Shebekinsky district, a civilian was injured as a result of shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. A man with a shrapnel wound to the chest was taken by ambulance to the regional clinical hospital. All necessary assistance is provided. In Shebekino, a concrete fence and two GAZelles were damaged at one of the enterprises. In the village of Maslova Pristan, a hangar of a production enterprise was damaged as a result of a drone attack.
Shooting at a hotel in Kyiv: The incident occurred on November 23, 2024 at the Sky Loft hotel in Pechersk, Kyiv. Conflicts between groups of men escalated into a fight. One of the participants pulled out a pistol and fired, wounding a hotel security guard and two visitors. Another hotel visitor died on the spot from a gunshot wound. Law enforcement officers served charges of hooliganism to three more participants in the conflict at the hotel - two friends of the deceased and a hotel visitor.
Drone attack on Sumy: Ukrainian air defense forces are operating in the region. An air alert has been declared in the region.
Drone movement near Kyiv: A UAV is moving in the southwestern part of Chernihiv region, heading towards Kyiv region.
Destruction of Ukrainian positions in Kharkiv region: In the Kharkiv region, the enemy destroyed some positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, - OSGT "Khortytsia". The OSGT "Khortytsia" reported that the Russians stormed in Volchansk in the Kharkiv direction, as well as in the area of Zahryzove, Dvorichna and Kruhlyakivka in the Kupyansk direction. "As a result of fire, some positions of our troops were destroyed. Measures are being taken to prevent the deterioration of the tactical situation," the message reads.
Updated Situation
The military situation in Ukraine remains highly volatile, with intense fighting concentrated in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions. Russian forces are making significant advances, particularly around Kurakhove, Pokrovsk, and Toretsk, aiming to encircle key areas and disrupt Ukrainian supply lines. The Vremivka and Krasnolimansky directions also see substantial Russian pressure. Drone warfare continues to be a dominant feature, with both sides employing drones extensively. Ukrainian air defenses are actively engaging Russian drones, but the sheer number launched poses a significant challenge. The situation is further complicated by reports of Ukrainian defense positions being destroyed in the Kharkiv region and the potential lowering of the mobilization age in Ukraine. The international community is closely monitoring the situation, with concerns about a possible collapse of Ukrainian defenses and the humanitarian impact of the conflict.
