December 4-11 live war map: Russia sets deadly traps for Ukrainian forces in Kurakhove, Velyka Novosilka sectors

Kursk region prepares for Trump inauguration

The Kursk front has shown a consistent trend toward stabilization in recent weeks. Russian forces are advancing, deploying significant human and technical resources, but their progress is so minimal that it’s likely embarrassing to report to Putin, prompting them to invent various falsehoods. The only somewhat notable achievement the Russian army can claim is pushing Ukrainian troops from a bridgehead south of Plekhovo. Here, Ukrainian forces retreated approximately 2 km and took positions on the right bank of the Psel River. At the same time, Ukrainian forces continue to fight for the village itself, maintaining control over its northern part and the entire area north between the settlement and the river. A downside to this withdrawal was Russian incursion into the Sumy region, where they occupied several kilometers of uninhabited border territory. However, it’s uncertain whether they plan to hold or expand this foothold, as it holds no strategic or tactical significance.

Ukrainian defense forces halted a mechanized Russian assault near Darino and repelled attacks on Pogrebki, Cherkasskaya Konopelka, and Martynovka. In Novoivanovka, Ukrainian troops launched several counterattacks, eliminating Russian paratroopers before they could even approach the village. Trends in the Russian offensive suggest that their forces won’t be able to reclaim the Kursk region before the U.S. presidential administration changes.

Chasiv Yar: Ukrainian forces hold defense at plant

The situation in the city is gradually deteriorating. The Russian army currently controls approximately 25% of Chasiv Yar, with another 25% in a contested gray zone. The main clashes are concentrated in the Zhovtnevyi and Novyi districts. Ukrainian defense forces are focused on the territory of the fire-resistant plant, where Russian forces are attempting to dislodge them. The battle for the plant has been ongoing for several weeks, but so far, Russian forces have only managed to secure a few utility buildings on the outskirts of the area. Toward the end of the week, Russian troops launched a major assault on the central areas of Chasiv Yar, but Ukrainian forces counterattacked, driving them out of this part of the city and eliminating the threat of a rear encirclement.

Toretsk: battle for central mine

In Toretsk, the situation is quite similar to that in Chasiv Yar: Russian forces are gradually pushing Ukrainian troops out of the city, but the process is extremely slow — only a few micro-districts per week. Additionally, as reported by soldiers directly from the battlefield, it is impossible to establish a clear frontline, as Ukrainian and Russian positions are heavily intertwined and often penetrate deep into each other's territory.

This week, the Russian forces captured a significant portion of the Zabalka district, while another 50% remains contested, with ongoing fighting. If the entire Zabalka area falls, Russia could begin flanking the city's industrial zone from the south, complicating its defense considerably. Currently, the key clash, where Russian troops are focusing their maximum efforts, is around the Tsentralna (eng. Central) mine, where Ukrainian forces have a strong fortified area. The Russian army is attempting to break through Ukrainian defenses there and has made minor advances. Similarly, Russian forces have managed to occupy several dozen buildings north of the central avenue.

Russian troops breach defensive line near Pokrovsk again

While the northern front approaching Pokrovsk, including Chasiv Yar and Toretsk, holds its ground, the southern front sees Ukrainian forces struggling to contain Russian advances. Over the past week, Russian troops breached 4 km towards Pokrovsk, fully occupying villages such as Novopustynka, Novotroitske, and Vidrodzhennya (formerly Novyi Trud). Additionally, Russians seized the village of Shevchenko, just 4 km from the southern outskirts of the district center. Russian forces have a tactical advantage, choosing multiple vectors for their offensive, with a key strategy being to bypass Pokrovsk from the south to cut off railway communications and eventually reach the main route connecting Pokrovsk and Pavlohrad.

At the same time, another Russian group is advancing westward to secure the depth of their flanks. They have already cut off the road to Kurakhove and, advancing south towards Novoolenivka, have formed a pocket for Ukrainian troops holding positions in Chumatske (formerly Pushkine). To avoid being encircled, the Ukrainian Defense Forces must withdraw from their positions. Further south, Russian troops are developing an offensive towards Ukrainka, effectively cutting off one of the possible retreat routes for Ukrainian defenders of Chumatske. Additionally, they are entering the village of Zoria behind Ukrainian troops, who have held here for several weeks, preventing Russian forces from advancing westward. Another direction of Russian attacks is the formation of a broad belt around the southeastern approaches to Pokrovsk. Here, Russian forces continue their advance along the road from Selydove and have started fighting for Dachenske, which is 5 km from Pokrovsk. At the same time, an advance through Lysivka continues.

Ukrainian military personnel on the ground point to miscalculations by leadership during the defense preparation of Pokrovsk. Public calls for action are being made to stabilize the situation and prevent a catastrophe.

Fall of Kurakhove becomes inevitable

On one hand, despite more than 300 attacks each week, Russian forces have modest gains on the Kurakhove front. This likely indicates their exhaustion and lack of resources. However, even these minor advancements, considering the overall situation, are fatal blows that bring Kurakhove's fall closer, although this process will likely extend over weeks. As a result, today’s focus is not on holding Kurakhove, but rather on withdrawing Ukrainian troops both from the city and its southern areas with minimal losses.

One of the most vulnerable areas for Ukrainian troops is the defense of Uspenivka and several villages to its east. Russians have made a breakthrough from Dalne, advancing 2.5 km and approaching the outskirts of Uspenivka, where fighting has been ongoing for a week. Simultaneously, from the south, Russian troops are advancing through Trudove, which is already half-captured. Despite this, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are holding their position in a pocket that is fully exposed, as the narrowest part of Ukrainian control zone is only slightly over 2 km wide. However, front-line fighters report that this is where they are inflicting the most casualties on Russian troops and capturing many prisoners. But this situation cannot continue for long; the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Defense Forces toward Uspenivka, and then Kostiantynopolske, should happen any day now. Moreover, in all villages on the path of withdrawal, fighting has been ongoing for a week, including in Sukhi Yaly, Kostiantynopolske, and now Uspenivka. Therefore, the only route of withdrawal is the road leading to the village of Dachne.

However, the situation here remains quite critical. On the northern flank of Kurakhove, Russian forces have managed to fully occupy the village of Stari Terny and establish fire control over the only road out of the city. For nearly a week, they have been attempting to cross the Vovcha River to completely block the path for the Ukrainian Defense Forces' retreat and are also developing an advance on the village of Shevchenko to stretch the front line further.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces somewhat stabilized the situation within Kurakhove, which helped to prevent Russian troops from making rapid advances. The Kurakhove garrison must hold its position until additional units from the southern flank can reinforce it. Only then can Ukrainian forces withdraw to new positions around the villages of Bohatyr and Kostiantynopil. The coming days or weeks will determine whether the Ukrainian military can simultaneously exit multiple pockets in which Russians are trying to trap them.

Further north, the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to escape from the pocket north of Berestky and, with rear-guard battles, are retreating towards Sontsivka and Shevchenko. However, Russian troops have also reinforced their advance and captured half of Sontsivka, attempting to cut off the Ukrainian Defense Forces' path of retreat.

Velyka Novosilka braces for major attack from all directions

Although the Ukrainian Armed Forces temporarily repelled Russian advance from the north, driving them out of Novyi Komar and launching counterattacks in Rozdolivka, Russian forces are tightening their grip around Ukrainian most fortified position on the Berdyansk front. Russian forces occupied Blahodatne and aligned their front along the Mokrі Yaly river. Simultaneously, Russian troops breached the Ukrainian defense to the east of Rivnopil, attempting to encircle Ukrainian defenders in Makarivka who are now caught in a crossfire and cannot hold their position for long.

Therefore, it is likely that soon we will see a withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces towards Velyka Novosilka or an attempt to stabilize the front at its approaches in Neskuchne. Consequently, the Ukrainian defenders of Velyka Novosilka find themselves in a situation where they will need to maintain a 360-degree defense from the east, south, and quite possibly the north as well. The most critical flank remains the western side, through which Russian forces could cut off logistics. If that happens, the loss of Velyka Novosilka would become inevitable. However, this remains a prospect for not even this year.

Despite everything, there is a noticeable decrease in the effectiveness of Russia’s advance on the front. The rate of Russian casualties and equipment losses has also slowed. This comes alongside an increase in the supply of ammunition to Ukrainian forces. All of this may indicate that Russia is starting to deplete its resources. The next few weeks will show how accurate these assumptions are.

The maps were created using data from the Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff and other open, verified sources. These maps are not entirely accurate and should be viewed as general indicators of combat trends rather than precise depictions of the battlefield.