April 5-12 live war map: Russian forces aim to surround Sloviansk, Konstiantynivka, but Ukrainian army stabilizing front

Russian forces are preparing a new crisis on post-Kurakhove front

As expected, after a two-week buildup in Rozlyv, the occupying Russian forces have not only begun to rapidly expand their zone of control in the village itself, but also attempted a quick breakthrough to the Donetsk-Zaporizhzhia highway to cut off the escape route for the defenders of Konstiantynopil. However, the Defense Forces of Ukraine destroyed the breakthrough group and repelled this attack on a key logistical artery. Nevertheless, it is currently unknown whether the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be able to counterattack and return Rozlyv under their control. If this does not happen, sooner or later the Russian army will come out onto the highway. And then Ukrainian defensive garrisons in Konstiantynopil and Andriivka, which have been holding a stable defense for several months, will have to retreat to Bohatyr and Oleksiivka.

April 5-12 war map, photo: Espreso

As if from a lethargic sleep, units of the Russian Armed Forces near Rozdolne woke up and began attacks in the direction of the highway to enhance the overall effect. But, as before, they do not have sufficient capabilities, and therefore managed to advance only about 1 km in a gray, uncontrolled zone. In other areas, the Armed Forces of Ukraine managed to stabilize the situation and did not allow either a breakthrough of the Russian forces in the direction of Komar, or the capture of Novosilka or Burlatske.

Pokrovsk and Novopavlivka fronts

At a snail's pace, the Russian forces are "rushing" towards the Dnipropetrovsk region in the Novopavlivka direction. Here, for several months now, they have been unable to take 2 villages – Nadiivka and Preobrazhenka. In a week, they managed to capture up to 100 meters in Nadiivka, as well as a few hundred meters north of it, trying to bypass the village. Instead, the Russian General Staff publicly declares every day that they will enter the Dnipropetrovsk region any day now. Well, because that’s what you need for talks with Trump. In reality, Russian troops have been practically standing still in Nadiivka since the end of January.

April 5-12 war map, photo: Espreso

The attack on Pokrovsk similarly failed. Despite talk that the Russians are preparing to attack the city with new forces, this week the number of assaults has decreased somewhat, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine continued to successfully counterattack. In particular, the Russian advance in Lysivka, where they captured half of the village Ukraine had previously liberated, was responded to by the Defense Forces with a strike in Shevchenko. Here, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been controlling half of the town for almost a month, and are continuing to push the Russians back to the Solonenka River. In addition, Ukrainian heroes attacked in Kotlyne, where they completely pushed the occupying Russian forces back from the southern part of the village to the south of the railway line, and also created a kilometer-long gray zone south of it. Instead, the enemy continues to storm Uspenivka, which the Defense Forces have already liberated once. This time, the Russian forces have entrenched themselves in the eastern part of the village, and the rest of the settlement has moved into the gray zone of battles. Presumably, it is here that the Russians are preparing another bridgehead for a breakthrough to the Dnipropetrovsk region. If Uspenivka cannot be taken "head-on" again, then those enemy formations that are making their way north of Nadiivka and can flank the defenders of Uspenivka will try to surround it.

Toretsk is on verge of falling

The number of clashes in Toretsk indicates that this is one of the priority goals for the Russian Armed Forces in the near future. After all, a breakthrough on this front could change the situation both in the Pokrovsk direction and in Chasiv Yar, and also actually launch an offensive from the south on the Slaviansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration.

In Toretsk itself, the enemy has not had significant successes, despite the fact that Russia managed to gain a foothold in one of the central blocks near the stadium, as well as occupy part of Zabalka — the southern district of the town. However, fighting continues for every house, the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to counterattack, and the Russians cannot capture the entire town, although they declared this two months ago. The other day they made a thoughtless attempt to break through with a small number of tanks and armored vehicles to the northwest of Toretsk. Russian invaders were able to break through Ukrainian redoubts and drive along the road to Konstiantynopil for as much as 6 km, until they were destroyed on the approaches to the village of Pleshchiivka. Despite the fact that the attempt was suicidal, it indicates gaps in Ukrainian defense, as well as a tendency — the Russian troops aimed at Konstiantynivka.

April 5-12 war map, photo: Espreso

To do this, they created two new fronts, the purpose of which is to bypass the defenders of Toretsk from the flanks. From the north, the invaders had minor success near the village of Druzhba, and also attacked in the direction of Ozaryanivka. Thus, the Russians want to collapse the Ukrainian defensive line along the Siversky Donets - Donbas canal, and therefore the southern flank of the defense of Chasiv Yar. 

April 5-12 war map, photo: Espreso

From the south, the situation along the road from Avdiivka to Konstiantynivka has significantly worsened for Ukraine. This week, the occupying Russian forces managed to completely capture Oleksandropil and its surroundings and created a gray zone on a 6-kilometer stretch of the road to Kostiantynivka. However, Ukrainian forces stopped their advance on Valentynivka, as well as the attack from New York on Shcherbynivka. Then the Russian troops went on the attack on the neighboring, western sector of the front. From Arkhangelsk, they stormed Kalynove and occupied it. Currently, the front here is the most dynamic and vulnerable for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, who have been unable to stabilize the situation for the second week. The Russian forces are advancing on a fairly wide front and have room for maneuver. The situation may resemble the constant and gradual advance of the occupation army after the capture of Avdiivka.

Lyman crisis continues

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have failed to stop the expansion of the Russian bridgehead on the right bank of the Zherebets River. Here, they have not only occupied the entire gray zone between Balka Zhuravka and Katerynivka, but have also almost occupied Katerynivka itself and are continuing to advance further west to the Oskil River. After long, unsuccessful attacks in the direction of Kolodzyaz, through which Russia wanted to reach Lyman, the enemy changed the vector of the offensive and directed it to the west and north, thus creating a threat of a breakthrough to Oskil in the direction of Izium and Borova. However, the pace of advance of the Russian Armed Forces is currently quite slow, and the Defense Forces are gradually stabilizing the situation.

April 5-12 war map, photo: Espreso

The Russian advance on the left bank of the Zherebets River is even slower, where they have started fighting in Yampolivka, but cannot gain a foothold, so the village has moved into a gray zone. Although the trends on the Lyman front are disappointing, the Russian troops are still very far from realizing their plan — to create a threat to Sloviansk from the north, as was the case in 2022.

Sumy region — a buffer zone

Fierce fighting is taking place almost along the entire border of the Sumy region and the Russian Federation. This has always been the hottest section of the front after Pokrovsk, and over the past week the number of clashes has increased by 30%. Both the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Russian troops are actively forming a border buffer zone, creating more and more new battlefields. Ukrainian aviation strikes deep into the territory of the Kursk, Belgorod, and even Bryansk regions every day, destroying enemy warehouses and field headquarters. Yes, one of the significant ones was the attack on the border post in Tyotkino, where the concentration of Russians for the offensive was recorded.

The invading Russian forces are pressing on the 15-kilometer section of the border from Veselivka and Zhuravka to Basivka and are trying to break through further. For example, they made unsuccessful attempts to attack Loknia. In addition, they are doing their best to squeeze the Armed Forces of Ukraine out of the Kursk region, in particular in the area of ​​the village of Guyevo, half of which recently passed into the gray zone. Instead, Ukrainian soldiers have established themselves in the Belgorod region. This is indicated by the statements of Zelenskyy and Syrskyi, who recognized the presence of the Defense Forces there.

April 5-12 live war map, photo: Espreso

The border war will last a long time, but so far nothing indicates that either side has the ability to make a tactical breakthrough. Ukraine’s main task is to stretch the enemy's forces. Currently, such a situation is more useful for Ukraine, because the Russian army cannot deploy additional reinforcements to more important sections of the front for them. And here they will achieve nothing.

The maps were created using data from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and other verified open sources. They are approximate and only represent general trends in the combat zone.