April 12–19 live war map: Russian forces launch desperate motorcycle assaults in rush to capture any ground

The Russian troops are rushing to achieve significant gains by May 9. To do this, they have once again started using their scarce armored vehicles on a large scale. They are searching for weak spots in Ukraine’s defenses to send in reserves, which they are redeploying from the Kursk region in Russia.

Zaporizhzhia – failed breakthrough attempt

It’s been a month since Russian forces launched an offensive between Orikhiv and Kamianske. The Ukrainian Defense Forces were prepared, and it’s now clear that the enemy’s plans have failed: they were unable to capture the supply road between these settlements.

Ukraine Russia war live map, April 12-19, Photo: Espreso

Recently, the Russian forces attempted a large-scale attack not seen on this part of the front for many months: they sent in 40 armored vehicles—tanks, IFVs, buggies—and 320 infantry. The assault targeted Shcherbaky and Mali Shcherbaky from both flanks. However, the Ukrainian Armed Forces completely repelled the attack, destroying 29 vehicles and killing 140 Russian soldiers. As a result, this section of the front is now considered secondary, not a main direction for their offensive.

Novopavlivka front – another retreat coming?

After capturing Kurakhove, the invading forces spent a second month trying to push the Defense Forces out of Kostiantynopil and Andriivka. But it seems last week they found the key to this strong defensive area. They managed to fully capture the village of Rozlyv, south of our key positions, and attacked the Donetsk–Zaporizhzhia road, thus getting behind our defenders. In these conditions, the Ukrainian Armed Forces cannot hold Kostiantynopil for long and have likely started preparing for a gradual withdrawal toward Bahatyr. This allowed the invaders to take much of the gray zone between Andriivka and Kostiantynopil, as well as enter the central part of the latter.

Ukraine Russia war live map, April 12-19, Photo: Espreso

The timeliness of Ukrainian withdrawal is also indicated by the enemy’s gradual advance toward the road behind our lines from the direction of Rozdolne. Here, the invading Russian troops, advancing on Bahatyr, moved forward 1.5 to 3 kilometers over the week and are also trying to attack Odradne to outflank Bahatyr.

On the neighboring section near Komar, the Defense Forces managed to stabilize the situation and push the Russians back from Dniproenerhiya. Similarly, Russian attempts to attack toward Shevchenko, at the junction of our positions in Burlatske and Pryvilne, also failed.

Pokrovsk – advance toward Dnipropetrovsk region

On the right flank of the attack on Pokrovsk, the Russians are advancing slowly but steadily toward the Dnipropetrovsk region—gaining a few hundred meters each week. In particular, near Kotliarivka, they pushed forward by 350 meters and are now just 5 km from the notional border between the regions. After two months of assaults, the Russians also managed to capture Ukrainian positions in Preobrazhenka and expand their control south of Sribne.

Another difficult section of the front is between the villages of Uspenivka and Udachne. Here, Russian forces have come within 4.5 km of the Dnipropetrovsk region. Fierce battles with counterattacks from both sides are taking place daily in Uspenivka. Over the past week, the enemy managed to retake part of the gray zone in Kotlyne, but the situation is changing rapidly and no one fully controls this area.

Ukraine Russia war live map, April 12-19, Photo: Espreso

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated another stretch of our land—between the town of Shevchenko and the village of Vidrodzhennia. This significantly improved our tactical position and consolidated previous gains in Shevchenko from both flanks. The next likely objective for the Defense Forces will be to clear the front line between Shevchenko and Pishchane.

Pokrovsk – Toretsk – Kostiantynivka

On the left flank of the attack on Pokrovsk, the Russians still cannot reach and cut the Pokrovsk–Kostiantynivka highway. This time, they made a massive attempt in the area between Novotroitske, Yelyzavetivka, and the highway junction, using over 150 motorcycles and about thirty armored vehicles. The Defense Forces eliminated 96 “motor cavalry” and 21 IFVs and buggies. This attack, like similar ones before it, showed the futility of large-scale Russian assaults when the Ukrainian Armed Forces are prepared. For now, the only tactic that works for the invaders is infiltrating in small groups through forest belts, where they can hide from drones.

Ukraine Russia war live map, April 12-19, Photo: Espreso

On the neighboring section between Pokrovsk and Toretsk, Russian forces captured Valentynivka and are attacking toward Sukha Balka and Stara Mykolaivka, but their advance has slowed significantly—just 2 km in a week along the road from Avdiivka to Kostiantynivka.

The Russians continue trying to break through from Toretsk to Kostiantynivka. For now, all these attempts are being repelled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, but the overall trend is worrying.

Double offensive on Lyman and Borova

The Lyman front remains one of the most critical areas. After previous successes, Russian forces simultaneously advanced on Lyman and Borova, especially since they have a 12:1 manpower advantage here. This week, the main clashes continued in Yampolivka, which is now half-occupied. The enemy further expanded the combat zone south of the village and attacked the northern outskirts of Zarichne. The main objective for Russian forces in the coming months will be to capture Zarichne and Torske, in order to fully occupy the entire left bank of the Zherebets River. The presence of Ukrainian forces in the Serebriansky Forest is of particular concern to the Russians—without clearing this area, they will not be able to successfully attack Lyman.

Ukraine Russia war live map, April 12-19, Photo: Espreso

On the Borova axis, the invading forces have not managed to fully capture Katerynivka, and their assaults on Novyi, Zelena Dolyna, and Novomykhailivka have been unsuccessful. This is because, although the enemy has established a significant bridgehead on the right bank of the Zherebets, they have not been able to move their armored vehicles across the river, and attacking our fortified positions without armor is a losing strategy. Currently, their bridgehead extends 8 km from the river, but to cross the Zherebets unimpeded, they need at least as much territory again. Therefore, it is likely the invaders will first work on expanding the bridgehead northward toward Hrekivka, to create more opportunities for an offensive to the west.

On the front around Kupiansk, the number of clashes has decreased, and the Russian assault efforts have lost momentum. As a result, there have been no territorial changes. However, air-dropped bomb strikes on Kupiansk itself indicate that the enemy is preparing for further action.

Buffer zone: Sumy region – Kursk region

The Defense Forces have managed to fully stabilize the front line on the northern border of the Sumy region along the line of the villages of Veselivka, Zhuravka, and Basivka.

In the Kursk region, the Russians have increased pressure on Ukrainian forces near Guyevo. Here, they managed to push Ukrainian troops back by several hundred meters to a kilometer along almost the entire front. However, Ukraine still controls most of Guyevo itself and the key heights nearby.

Ukraine Russia war live map, April 12-19, Photo: Espreso

The situation in the Belgorod region is difficult but under control, where elite Russian units are trying to break through Ukrainian positions between Demidovka and Popovka. Although the Russians have amassed over 60,000 troops on the border, this is not enough for a breakthrough deep into the Sumy region. Realizing this, they will likely redeploy some elite units to the Donetsk region, where it is crucial for the enemy to achieve results on at least one of the critical sections of the front.

The maps were created based on information from the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ General Staff and other open and verified sources. At the same time, the maps are not fully accurate and only conditionally reflect trends in the combat zone.