Brief Overview of Frontline Changes in November 2025

Throughout the month, thick fog repeatedly settled over various sections of the frontline. In several cases, Russian forces used the fog to carry out assaults. Such “non-flying” weather severely complicates aerial reconnaissance with drones. It limits visibility to 20-30 meters [65-100 ft], reducing the ability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to detect and strike an advancing enemy in advance. At the same time, the fog helped the AFU rotate and resupply units operating in precarious positions. The fog and the dense fall cloud cover also hinder the analysis of satellite imagery.

In the Sumy direction, there were no changes over the past month. The ongoing combat operations have not resulted in any significant advances by the Russian Armed Forces.

In the Kharkiv region, Russian assault troops are pushing deeper into the southwestern part of the town of Vovchansk, and heavy fighting is ongoing in the Synelnykove Forest. Despite recent Russian claims that Vovchansk has been fully captured, Russian soldiers have not yet been observed in its southeastern part.

In the border area of the Kharkiv region, the RuAF linked their bridgehead near the village of Milove with previously seized territory west of the Oskil River, creating a “buffer zone” along the border between the villages of Milove and Topoli roughly 24 km [14.9 mi] long and up to 4 km [2.5 mi] deep.

In the town of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, despite Russian Ministry of Defense claims of its complete capture, Ukrainian forces are still present in the southwestern part of the town and in areas east of the Oskil River. There were no significant changes in the balance of forces around Kupiansk in November. It is worth noting that Russian positions on this stretch of the frontline are vulnerable to a flanking strike near the village of Kindrashivka, which would greatly complicate any further RuAF advance in Kupiansk.

At the end of November, the situation in the Borova direction suddenly became more active, and Russian forces advanced slightly toward the Oskil River. Given the limited scale of these changes, this uptick is most likely related to the redeployment of Ukrainian units rather than the start of an “offensive.”

In the Donetsk region, active combat operations continue in the Lyman direction, and the contested area in the woodlands between the town of Lyman and the village of Yampil has noticeably expanded. According to Ukrainian military observer Kostiantyn Mashovets, with whom we agree, Russian forces will likely take the village soon, as they have already seized most of it.

The RuAF have approached the town of Siversk from the north, east and south, and assault groups have been reported on its southern outskirts.

Fighting continues for the town of Kostiantynivka, with Russian infantry still using the Yahidka dacha area to amass troops and attack the Santurinivka neighborhood. Russian assault troops have been spotted near the railway depot in the southern part of the town. The outcome of the battle for Kostiantynivka depends directly on the success of Russian advances from the villages of Poltavka and Rusyn Yar toward the town of Druzhkivka, as Ukrainian logistics routes pass through that area. At present, the position of Ukrainian forces in the fighting for Kostiantynivka does not appear critical.

Northeast of the Kleban-Byk Reservoir, in the villages of Nelipivka and Pleshchiivka, a small Ukrainian force remains. West of the Kleban-Byk Reservoir, near the village of Oleksandro-Kalynove, the RuAF continue attempts to gain a foothold at the road junction leading to Kostiantynivka from the city of Donetsk and the town of Pokrovsk.

Near the village of Shakhove in the Dobropillia direction, Ukrainian forces are defending along the Kazennyi Torets River, halting Russian advances toward the village of Sofiivka and attempts to ford the river with armored vehicles near the village of Novotoretske. The riverside zone around the villages of Pankivka and Shakhove remains contested, with Russian soldiers still present.

In the town of Rodynske, fighting continued throughout a month: Russian assault groups periodically seized parts of the town, after which Ukrainian forces counterattacked. In the second half of November, Russian units captured the southern part of the town, and in the final days of the month they also took the northern part, but just a few days later, the AFU pushed them out of the latter.

In the town of Pokrovsk, Ukrainian forces maintain a limited presence in areas north of the railway line. It can now be said that the “contested zone” between Pokrovsk and Krasnyi Lyman has merged, and no reliable logistics route remains firmly under Ukrainian control. Supplying Ukrainian units in the area of Myrnohrad using tracked or wheeled vehicles (other than ground drones) has become impossible, and delivering supplies on foot is extremely dangerous due to Russian ambushes. In Myrnohrad, the AFU now hold only the northern part of the town, repelling attacks from three directions.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, in the Novopavlivka direction, the RuAF took advantage of poor weather conditions in mid-month to launch an armored attack toward the village of Novopavlivka and deploy infantry. Ukrainian attempts to clear the village were unsuccessful, and small Russian assault groups continue to operate there. At the end of November, the AFU successfully counterattacked and expelled Russian troops from the village of Ivanivka, which Russian units had entered in late September after fording the Vovcha River. The Russian presence in Ivanivka had worsened the situation around Novopavlivka, as it opened the possibility of converging attacks on the village from two directions.

In the Huliaipole direction, Russia recorded its largest territorial gains for the second consecutive month. Units of the RuAF’s Group of Troops “East” managed to gain a foothold in several settlements beyond the Yanchur River and advanced up to 10 kilometers [6.2 mi] toward the Huliaipole-Pokrovske road. Russian assault troops periodically appear near the villages of Danylivka and Radisne, which lie along one of the supply routes for Ukrainian forces deployed around Huliaipole. After capturing the villages of Rivnopil, Zelenyi Hai and Vysoke, fighting began for Huliaipole itself. By the end of the month, Russian assault groups were already present in the eastern part of the town. Ukrainian assault units redeployed to this sector have so far been unable to stabilize the situation.

In the Orikhiv and Zaporizhzhia (also known as Stepnohirsk) directions, there were no major changes, although a small Russian advance was recorded in Stepnohirsk. Russian troops attempted to use the shallow section of the Dnipro River, formed after the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, to launch an attack toward the village of Prymorske, but the effort was unsuccessful.