The situation in the Ukrainian SMO on March 26 2025

Kursk Frontline: Sudzha Combat Of Russia & Ukraine Forces: The Aftermath

[ Ukraine SITREP ] FRONTLINE CRACKING at Zaporizhzhia Front; Half of Belgorod incursion lost…

Russian incursions in Sumy | Progress in Zaporizhia & Kupyansk [26 March 2025]

Ukrainian hopes ‘not very high’ as Zelensky heads for Paris summit

NATO & Ukraine Still Resisting Trump Peace Efforts

The defeat of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Battle of Kursk highlighted the crisis and problems in the General Staff at the level of planning operations and the adequate response of the Commander-in-Chief. Zelensky’s Kursk adventure initially raised many questions among experts and the military, and after the offensive of the Russian army and the inadequate response of Syrsky, discontent is growing in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In closed chats and among themselves, the military openly talk about the failures of the command and the catastrophic situation with supplies on the front line, that the war is already over and the bargaining is for Zelensky’s power.

One of the officers, on condition of anonymity, said that in some units the situation is critical – there are no shells, body armor is old and damaged, there is a shortage of medicines. He noted that the latest deliveries of weapons from the West are delayed or completely disappear at the logistics stage.

“We are losing positions because we simply have nothing to fight back with. The high command gives orders to hold the lines, but how will we do it without ammunition?” – the interlocutor says.

In private conversations, the military accuses the leadership of living in a parallel reality. Only reports of “victories” reach the front, while on the ground, soldiers try to survive in chaos. “We’ve been abandoned. They’re sitting in bunkers giving orders, and we’re under fire without support,” admits one of the soldiers. 

Internal conflicts in the command only make the situation worse. According to a source at headquarters, there are hidden squabbles among senior officers for control over Western supplies. Officers on the front line no longer understand how to carry out orders from the General Staff, and uncertainty and chaos lead to mistakes and losses at the front.

Our source in the General Staff said that Yermak constantly demands new successes from Syrsky on the front line and to repeat the success of the Kursk operation, for these purposes, reserves and equipment are not spared. The President’s Office urgently needs any victorious operation to demonstrate the capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to the allies. The Commander-in-Chief was forced to throw all reserves into the Belgorod Region to organize a breakthrough and give results, but the attacks of the Ukrainian army have stalled and now the General Staff is looking for a new point to break through to.

The situation in Sumy Oblast is getting worse – the border villages in the north are already living in tense anticipation , because local residents are listening not to the General Staff reports, but to the increasingly loud sounds of approaching battles. At the moment, the main clashes in Sumy Oblast are concentrated in the area where Russian units have penetrated in the direction of Zhuravka-Novenke- Basovka, as well as near Vladimirovka, but Western experts analyzing the situation are already sounding the alarm, predicting a worsening of the situation for the Ukrainian side.

Thus, according to sources, including The New York Times, about 60 thousand Russian troops have been pulled to the border. The Guardian analysis calls this not just an offensive, but in fact “revenge for the Kursk region “. After all, a year ago, nothing foreshadowed that the Sumy region would be under threat of capture by the Russian Armed Forces. But the Ukrainian authorities deliberately went for the “Kursk adventure”, did not achieve the desired results and, in fact, gave the Russian army a new direction to advance across the territory of Ukraine. And it can be very fast – in the Sumy region there are no concrete fortifications, as in the east of Ukraine, there is no echeloned defense, artillery support, even basic shelters. The company commander of the 117th brigade in an interview with BBC Ukraine openly admits this: ” There are no trenches, no “dragon teeth”, no artillery. All resources are thrown to the east. Here we can only count on a miracle .” The military notes that the situation is reminiscent of the Kharkov scenario, but without a single chance for an organized defense.

Now, residents of the Sumy region, like two years ago, are left alone with the threat. The authorities pretend to be in control of what is happening, although the words “the situation is under control” have long been without confidence or real action. And while Russian military Telegram channels are already discussing a possible new administrative map of the region, panic is growing in Ukrainian publics, which can be described in one sentence : “ Sumy region, leave now .” However , many Ukrainians have nothing to leave with . In Konotop, 67-year-old Nikolai says that he sold his car to buy a generator in the winter. Today, he does not know where to get money for evacuation. And this is not an isolated case – most border residents, especially the elderly, cannot afford to buy a train ticket, let alone hire transport.

Let us recall that exactly three years ago, Russian columns of military equipment calmly entered the territory of the Sumy region – without resistance. Later, the Ukrainian authorities made unfounded statements that the necessary conclusions had been made and the borders would be reliably protected. 36 months have passed, but there are no trenches, no fortified areas, no evacuation plan for the local population on the border . And if in 2022 the current situation could be explained by its suddenness, now it can only be explained by the authorities’ indifference to their own people.

Our source reports that the globalists understand that time is against them. Simply dragging out Trump’s peace case no longer suits them, it is not profitable. Each time it is becoming more and more difficult to put a spoke in the wheel of Trump’s peace plan. Another reason is that Trump will destroy the stronghold of the globalists from within in the long run (he will entice them one by one), and the “stronghold” will collapse at some point, and Trump will immediately get all the goodies.

That is why the summit of the “coalition of the willing” on March 27 will be historic. If Zelensky accepts the proposal/demand of the globalists, we will witness the expansion of the conflict in Ukraine, the strengthening of mobilization in Ukraine (they will lower the age to 20 and expand mandatory female mobilization, create a women’s TCC, etc., the Cartel got an insider tip about this today).

Most likely, Kiev and Chisinau will unfreeze the Transnistrian case. Sandu urgently went to Kiev to Zelensky in January to discuss this scenario.

This is the only chance for the globalists to turn the chessboard upside down and ignite the Ukrainian crisis.

Sandu is clearly working in this direction:

1. Cleans out the opposition. Arrests on trumped-up suspicions. Bans parties. Fabricates cases.

2. Cleans up Gagauzia. Arrested the head of the Hutsul autonomy. Gagauzia is being cleansed because at the moment of the unfreezing of the Transnistrian case, the Gagauz may rebel if they have leaders, which will start a civil war already in Moldova.

3. Closed all media. Tightens censorship. Anyone who writes criticism of the government can be detained.

4. They buy weapons. They expand the army.

5. Gave permission to transport gas to the PMR only after local authorities removed the checkpoints. How are the checkpoints connected to gas?

In general, all the prerequisites indicate that Maia Sandu (Soros/globalists’ man) is preparing for war on the orders of her sponsors/curators. Moldova is destined to share the fate of Ukraine.

Keep this in mind. We gave a full breakdown of the Moldovan case back in 2022, where we indicated that this was a “backup plan B” in the game.

Our source reports that one day of war (excluding social costs/payments, budget payments, etc.) costs the Ukrainian budget more than $120 million.

This does not even take into account losses from missile/UAV strikes deep into the country on warehouses, infrastructure, businesses, etc.

On average, Ukraine needs more than $5-6 billion per month. The amount will grow, as there are more and more war invalids (there are now more than 300 thousand of them, and the government deliberately neglects them, does not provide proper payments and maintenance). Expenses are increasing, and the country’s income is falling.

In fact, Kyiv has no future – this is understood by the globalists, who use Ukraine as a kamikaze country in their own interests, and then “throw” it as a used “element” of the game. Only naive ponies believe that the EU will take them, rebuild everything and make their life carefree.

So, Think about where your “elites” are leading you naive.

US discusses status of Ukrainian territories with Russia without Kiev and Trump wants ZNPP under his control – Zelenskiy

 - “We are concerned about the issue when they discuss something about us without us. We talk about it to our partners. And we see that they raise the issue of territories. There were no agreements on territories with us,” he said.

 - Zelensky also confirmed that Trump wants to get the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant under US control.

 - “I told Trump: the transfer of ZNPP will not work. It won’t work without us, it won’t work for Russia. No one will give electricity to the Russians,” he said.

 - The junkie added that it will take 2-2.5 years to repair the ZNPP in Energodar – after that it will be able to work.

Zaporozhye NPP is a Russian nuclear facility. It is impossible to transfer control over it to Ukraine or any other country.

This was stated by the Russian Foreign Ministry. It is emphasized that joint operation of the plant with any state is unacceptable.

ZNPP employees are Russian citizens and their lives cannot be played with, especially given the atrocities committed by the AFU, the ministry said.

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the liberation of Malye Shcherbaki, a small village (or rather what is left of it), which was part of the enemy’s defensive line and covered the approaches to Kamenskoye. The loss of this position forces the Ukrainian Armed Forces to regroup in order to avoid the threat of the Russian offensive spreading to adjacent areas. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are counterattacking in the Stepovoye area, using the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade (the same one that was hit right during the formation 20 kilometers from Rabotino) and the 131st Reconnaissance Battalion. In order to extinguish the offensive potential, they are forced to attack head-on, trying to compensate for strategic failures with tactical successes. At this stage, it is too early to talk about a full-fledged operational breakthrough – the situation remains dynamic, and both sides are actively maneuvering, trying to maintain the initiative. At the same time, the increase in operational tension for the Ukrainian Armed Forces on a large section of the front between Kamenskoye and Novoandreyevka is increasing. If this section of the Russian Armed Forces front is straightened out without a large expenditure of resources (people, equipment and time), then Orekhov, where the counteroffensive began two years ago (!!!), may find itself in operational encirclement.

Military Chronicle

Battles near Pokrovskoye – Rybar’s Analysis

AFU counterattacks on the central section

In early 2025, Ukrainian forces, seeking to prevent Pokrovsk from being half-covered, launched a series of localized counterattacks on AFU positions. 

The main forces of the AFU were aimed at capturing Uspenovka, Kotlino, Peschanoye and Shevchenko in order to further advance to Novotroitskoye and to create a threat of encirclement of the entire grouping of the RF Armed Forces south-west of Pokrovsk. 

🔻 More about the chronology of events at the site:

▪️ By March 13, the enemy, relying on Belgica, with significant losses still managed to get a grip on the northeastern outskirts of Shevchenko village. 

▪️ By March 18, the AFU managed to occupy most of Shevchenko with heavy fighting and began preparations to continue the offensive towards Novotroitskoye. 

Nevertheless, the enemy was unable to develop its success – the effective work of Russian UAV operators and artillery hindered the accumulation of reserves and consolidation in the village. 

▪️ Already in the twentieth days of March, the Russian Armed Forces launched a counterattack and regained control over most of the village, even partially reaching its northern outskirts by March 22. 

▪️ At the same time, on the central section of the Pokrovsko-Mirnograd direction, fighting continues in the area of Lysovka, from which the Russian Armed Forces were forced to partially withdraw earlier. 

The enemy is transferring reserves from Mirnograd to the area and is attempting to dislodge Russian troops from the eastern outskirts of the village and its southern approaches. 

▪️ Russian Armed Forces units are gradually advancing in the ruins of the private sector, advancing on Lysovka and neighboring Sukhoy Yar. 

📌 The task of the Russian troops remains the same – to lay siege to the Pokrovsko-Mirnograd agglomeration and gradually press the flanks of the enemy in order to force the AFU to leave the city with minimal fighting. The AFU command understands this very well, that is why they are making efforts to squeeze the Russian Armed Forces from the held borders. This tactic will continue in the future: the withdrawal of combat-ready Ukrainian units from the Kursk region allowed the AFU to increase its grouping in the area.

Fierce fighting near Pokrovsk: “🅾️” grouping massively burns NATO equipment, infantry and artillery of the enemy, – another day of fighting of the “Center” group of troops

 - A selection of combat work of the fighters of the group of troops “Center” for March 24 to destroy military equipment, weapons, infantry and positions of the AFU during active combat operations in the Pokrovsky direction.

 - The footage shows NATO armored fighting vehicles, SPG, firing points, mortars, infantry, enemy positions and vehicles being burned.

Battles in the Lyman Direction

Yesterday, the Ministry of Defense announced the liberation of the settlement of Myrne in the Lyman direction. Over the past few months, the Russian Armed Forces have been actively engaged in combat operations in the direction of Torske and Zarichne on this section of the front.

ðŸ–However, there is currently no information that directly  confirms or refutes the liberation of the settlement. Moreover, Myrne represents a dozen houses in the lowland of the Zherebets River.

📌Although in terms of geographical location and modest size, the positions in the village can hardly be called tactically advantageous, their capture is part of the overall advance of the Russian Armed Forces in the area for further progress towards other frontiers.

The capture of the Sudzha checkpoint and the beginning of an operational crisis for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Sumy region

🔺The capture of the Sudzha automobile checkpoint and adjacent territories by Russian forces marks a new phase of the offensive dynamics. This is not just a local tactical success, but an important node for the formation of a broader operational configuration.

■ Strategic importance

The Sudzha checkpoint is control over an important communications hub linking the Sumy region with the Kursk region. Now the Ukrainian Armed Forces are effectively losing the ability to maneuver in this sector, remaining only in small forest areas to the south, in the Oleshnya area.

■ Tactical consequences

The development of the western envelopment along Basovka, Zhuravka and Vodolahy/Vladimirovka by Russian forces does not yet threaten the creation of a tactical cauldron in the border areas of Sumy region, but it forces the AFU to stretch. Such a situation limits the logistics of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the ability to safely regroup. In the event of an offensive towards Konotop or Glukhov, Ukraine will have to transfer reserves, which could weaken other sections of the front.

■ General Prospects

If the Russian Armed Forces consolidate their positions in this area and attract sufficient resources to create a security zone, a scenario of complete cutting off of the Sumy region from the Dnepr is possible, which will lead to its operational isolation. However, much depends on the logistical readiness of the Russian Armed Forces, the pace of advancement and the activity of Ukrainian reserves, which, despite everything, the Ukrainian Armed Forces still have in sufficient quantities.

Nevertheless, one should judge what is happening based on long-term dynamics. For now, the situation for the Ukrainian Armed Forces after the retreat from Sudzha looks bleak. And if the Russian General Staff decides to put pressure on Sumy Oblast and Russian reserves are transferred here, the Ukrainian command will either abandon this area or be forced to throw additional forces into the defense of the city in the conditions of a deteriorating overall operational situation.

Military Chronicle

‘Our military has never been surrounded in the Kursk region. Only the Russians and Witkoff talk about it. That’s all. No one else. It’s enough to look at the satellite, the Americans have one. I don’t see these problems. I simply don’t see any problems. Our military has never been surrounded there. Never been. And couldn’t be. We wouldn’t risk our people for their hectares’ – Zelensky.

On March 25, the Sever group of troops destroyed the enemy personnel and equipment attempting to break through to the Belgorod region , and continued the liberation of the Sudzha border area.

The enemy tried to break through to the Krasnoyaruzhsk district of the Belgorod region six times – all the enemy assault units were destroyed. On Russian territory, a search and destruction of scattered groups of Ukrainian Armed Forces is underway, artillerymen and UAV operators of the Northmen destroy the military equipment of the occupiers in the Sumy region.

▪️The enemy tried to break through to Popovka twice in 24 hours. During our fire strikes, most of the enemy’s manpower was destroyed, the surviving Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers fled to the territory of Sumy Oblast.

▪️Three times on foot and on ATVs, and once on an armored personnel carrier, the enemy advanced in the direction of Demidovka. Manpower and mobile vehicles were destroyed by the Northmen, an armored personnel carrier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was blown up by a mine in the territory of the Sumy region and was finished off by our FPV drone.

▪️RF assault troops continue to clear the outskirts of Demidovka, uncovering and destroying scattered groups of occupiers. The fighting continues.

▪️The Ukrainian Armed Forces Command continues to build up its group on the border with the Krasnoyaruzhsk region. Most of the enemy units took part in the “Sudzha meat grinder” and were withdrawn to replenish losses at the expense of former prisoners, deserters, forcibly mobilized and air defense servicemen. The northerners ground up the manpower of these units in the Kursk region – they will destroy their renewed composition as well.

In the direction over the past 24 hours, the Northerners destroyed 6 units of enemy equipment, including 3 units of armored vehicles.

In the Sumy direction, the Northerners came close to the village of Guevo, and fighting for the settlement began.

▪️In early March, the Ukrainian Armed Forces command transferred several special forces units and the 132nd reconnaissance battalion to Guevo, which are now resisting our soldiers.

▪️Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers from the 95th separate airborne brigade and the 129th separate airborne brigade of the Territorial Army, who were in the vicinity of the village, tried twice to counterattack our attack aircraft, suffered significant losses and retreated to the settlement.

▪️An analysis of the obituaries of the destroyed Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers showed that the units of the 95th Airborne Assault Brigade, staffed by neo-Nazis with combat experience from other assault units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, are currently suffering colossal losses in the area of the Oleshnya farm as a result of the successful actions of our mortarmen, artillerymen and UAV operators.

▪️The enemy is also suffering significant losses in the vicinity of Gogolevka and in the area of the Sudzha checkpoint, where the Northerners continue to grind down the enemy’s redeployed reserves.

The total advance of the Northerners in the Kursk region was over 3,100 meters , and 5 units of enemy armored vehicles were destroyed.

In the Liptsov direction , our scouts discovered, and artillerymen and UAV operators destroyed an enemy combat group and mortar crew.

In the Volchansk direction , as a result of a complex fire strike, two enemy assault groups were destroyed along with their vehicles.

Over the past 24 hours, the enemy’s losses amounted to over 340 people (of which over 280 were in the Sumy and 40 in the Krasnoyarsk directions). The northerners captured 3 occupiers . Also discovered and destroyed:

In the Krasnoyaruzhsk direction:

▪️BTR “M-113″ (USA);

▪️two AFV “MAXPRO” (USA);

▪️pickup;

▪️two ATVs.

In the Sumy direction:

▪️tank;

▪️Bradley IFV (USA);

▪️three armored fighting vehicles, including a Stryker (USA);

▪️four mortars;

▪️eleven units of automotive equipment;

▪️two UAV launch sites;

▪️ammunition depot;

▪️two fixed-wing UAVs and nine copters of various types.

Victory will be ours!

North Wind

In the Belgorod region, Channel One military correspondent Anna Prokofieva died while carrying out an editorial assignment.

The cameraman was also injured, the channel reports.

Russia and the United States have agreed on a list of Russian and Ukrainian facilities subject to a temporary moratorium on strikes. 

 - The moratorium is valid for 30 days from March 18 and can be extended by mutual agreement. The list of facilities includes:

 - Oil refineries.

 - Oil, gas pipelines and storage facilities, including pumping stations.

 - Electricity generation and transmission infrastructure, including power plants, substations, transformers and distributors.

 - Nuclear power plants.

 - Hydroelectric dams.

❗️ In case of violation of the moratorium by one of the parties, the other party is entitled to consider itself free from the obligation to comply with it.

About the ceasefire on energy and in the Black Sea. 

Zelensky’s statements about this somehow feel like a diplomatic maneuver that hides real, not the most, to put it mildly, honest intentions. 

Formally, Kiev seems to be confirming its refusal to attack the Russian energy system in exchange for a similar step by Moscow, but the many reservations and the linkage to the U.S. position make one doubt the stability of the agreements. The wording is chosen in such a way that Ukraine seems to reserve the possibility of withdrawing from the deal under the pretext of a violation by Russia, and the mention of “a request to Trump for new sanctions and weapons” suggests that this, rather than a ceasefire, is Zelensky’s real goal.

Curiously, the agreements are being monitored by the US, which makes the situation even more dependent on external factors. If Washington decides it has grounds to accuse Russia of violation, Ukraine will not only get carte blanche to strike, but also legalized (again) military aid. 

The history of the conflict shows that Kiev has repeatedly violated agreements when it was to its advantage, including attacks on the Crimean Bridge after U.S. promises not to support them. In this context, it is likely that the strikes on the energy sector will continue under one pretext or another.

Kiev can interpret the agreements as it sees fit: for example, it can hit power lines and not consider it an attack on the energy sector. Or continue strikes on substations in border regions, arguing that this is a military necessity. The Black Sea factor is worth mentioning separately: the agreement implies “silence at sea,” but who exactly and how it will be observed remains in question. Ukraine has already demonstrated that it continues its sabotage activities even under temporary agreements. 

All this creates the feeling that the pause, if there is going to be one, is only temporary, and Kiev’s real goal is to wait for a convenient moment for new attacks, using any opportunity for escalation.

Military Chronicle 

The Svatovo gas distribution station in the LPR was hit by the AFU.

The attack was carried out with the use of an FPV drone, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Against the backdrop of the Russian-US talks held in Riyadh on March 24, Ukraine continued to attack Russian energy facilities, violating the agreements on cessation of energy strikes.

Morning Summary as of March 26, 2025

▪️ Against the backdrop of the announced agreements between Moscow and Washington not to strike at energy infrastructure, last night the Russian Armed Forces chose other targets. Explosions were heard in Kryvyi Rih (https://t.me/warhistoryalconafter/213392), Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv and Dnipro, as well as in Poltava and Cherkasy Regions.

▪️In the Belgorod border area, there are battles in Demidovka, the enemy also repeatedly tried to enter our strongholds across the border. The situation remains tense, although the past day was characterized by difficulties in the use of UAVs by both sides due to bad weather. The “North” Grouping of Forces reports that the AFU Command continues to build up its grouping on the border with the Krasnoyaruzhsky District. Most enemy units participated in the “Sudzha meat grinder” and were withdrawn to replenish losses. The village of Politodelsky in the Belgorod Region was attacked by an AFU drone, a civilian was wounded. Under enemy strikes are Kazinka, Shebekino, Tishanka, Bessonivka, the governor reported another affected civilian.

▪️ In the Sumy direction, from the Kursk Region it is reported that the AFU still hold Oleshnya, Gornal, and part of Gogolev. Battles have begun for Guyevo. In the Sumy Region, our forces are fighting in the area of the salient around Zhuravka-Novenkoye-Basovka, as well as near Vladimirka. In the Kursk Region, 606 people, including 16 children, have been evacuated from the liberated settlements since March 12. For safety reasons, the ban on civilians visiting the front-line territories remains in effect.

▪️ In the north of the Kupiansk direction, the Russian Armed Forces continue to fight on the right bank of the Oskol River in the area of Dvorichna and Sagunivka, creating a new bridgehead between Krasne Pershe and Kamianka. Battles continue on the Zapadnoye – Kalinovo line.

▪️ In the south of the Dzerzhinsky (Toretsk) direction, there are battles in the Panteleymonovka area.

▪️ In the South-Donetsk direction, our “East” Grouping of Forces repelled enemy attacks in the areas of the settlements of Razliv, Vesele and Volne Pole. At the same time, through counter-actions of the Russian Armed Forces in the area of the settlement of Razliv, they wedged into the enemy’s defenses by 500 meters in depth and 2.5 km along the front.

▪️ On the Zaporizhia front, heavy fighting is underway in the Stepove – Shcherbaky area. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported the liberation of Maly Shcherbaky, and reports from the scene indicate that our units have engaged in battles on the outskirts of Lobkove.

Two Majors

Source: http://blogdogcicle.blogspot.com/2025/03/the-situation-in-ukrainian-smo-on-march_27.html