Brief Overview of Frontline Changes Over the Past Month

In the Sumy direction, the frontline did not change significantly in October. Russian forces made minor gains near the villages of Volodymyrivka and Varachyne, while intense fighting continues near the village of Yunakivka.

In the Kharkiv region, activity has increased near the town of Vovchansk. The Russian Armed Forces have secured the territory of the oil extraction plant, crossed the Vovcha River and are attempting to advance further south along the railway. To the southwest, Russian assault groups have reached the outskirts of the village of Synelnykove.

In the border area of the Kharkiv region, the RuAF are advancing near the villages of Odradne and Bolohivka, which, as we assess, aims to establish a "buffer zone" uniting the territories near the village of Milove and the areas near the villages of Stroivka and Topoli, along the Oskil River.

In Kupiansk, Russian soldiers are already operating in the town center, while individual assault groups have been observed in the Yuvileinyi neighborhood in the southwest, where the main supply route for the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the western bank of the Oskil River passes.

In the Lyman direction, the RuAF are engaged in intense fighting near the villages of Drobysheve and Yampil, seeking to reach the Siverskyi Donets River north and south of the town of Lyman. The AFU, however, retain control of Drobysheve and the southern part of the village of Torske.

Additionally, Russian forces are attempting to encircle the town of Siversk: south of it, they have been observed in the village of Pereizne and are already entering Zvanivka, while to the northeast, the territory between the villages of Serebrianka and Dronivka remains contested.

In the Kostiantynivka direction, the RuAF are concentrating in the area of Oleksandro-Shultyne and Bila Hora, in preparation for an attempt to enter the Santurinivka district of the town of Kostiantynivka through the Yahidka and Stroitel dacha areas.

Although at the beginning of the month, the RuAF attempted to expand the Dobropillia salient, including toward the highway between Dobropillia and Kramatorsk, the AFU counterattacked in the second half of the month, significantly reducing the salient in the area near Nove Shakhove and liberating the villages of Kucheriv Yar, Sukhets and Zatyshok.

At the base of the Dobropillia salient, the RuAF also attacked Volodymyrivka and Shakhove, taking advantage of poor weather conditions and deploying up to several dozen armored vehicles simultaneously.

In the Pokrovsk direction, the RuAF tactic of infiltrating small assault groups combined with putting pressure on Ukrainian logistics has yielded results: the AFU have lost the southern part of the town of Pokrovsk, and Russian assault troops have been seen in the northern part, beyond the railway line. In addition, Russian soldiers are present on the eastern outskirts of the town of Myrnohrad.

The RuAF have made their deepest advances in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, reaching the Yanchur River between the villages of Poltavka and Yehorivka, ending up within 3 km [1.86 mi] of the highway between Dnipro and Huliaipole and securing positions on the western bank.

In the Zaporizhzhia direction, RuAF units made several attempts to enter the village of Mala Tokmachka with infantry but failed to achieve their objectives. Slightly to the west, Russian forces reached the southern outskirts of the village of Stepnohirsk and began moving north along the shore of the former Kakhovka Reservoir, with individual soldiers already spotted in Prymorske.