March 20-27 live war map: Russia steps up its offensive and has advances on frontline

News from frontline in Luhansk region

Thanks to a raid by Russian anti-Putin volunteers in the Belgorod region, part of the advancing Russian army was diverted from the Kupyansk direction. As a result, this section of the front is one of the few where there have been no territorial changes.  

At the same time, to the south, in the area near Kreminna, Russian troops concentrated large resources to push the Ukrainian Defense Forces to the right bank of the Zherebets River towards Lyman. Over the course of the week, they conducted several waves of assaults on the villages of Terny, Yampolivka, and Torske. Several times the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces changed hands, but recently the invading Russian forces managed to advance several hundred meters to the west and gain a foothold. Intense fighting is currently taking place in this area of the frontline.

Map. Kreminna-Lyman_2603

Chasiv Yar is preparing for a siege

The fighting for the 6 km long area between Bakhmut and Chasiv Yar lasted for almost a year. Neither Bohdanivka nor Ivanivske has been occupied yet, but the situation is developing in such a way that it is likely to happen in the coming weeks. During this week, the Russians managed to further penetrate the center of Ivanivske, as well as gain a foothold on its south and northeastern outskirts. In addition, they were able to take Ukrainian forces’ positions along the Khromove - Chasiv Yar road, which runs along the ridge of a hill. It is along this ridge that they intend to approach the town, which is about a kilometer away. Through the occupied observation post on the ridge, the Russians can now exercise fire control over both Bohdanivka and Ivanivske.

At the same time, they are trying to drive the Ukrainian Armed Forces out of Klishchiivka and Andriivka by crossing the railroad and canal and entering our rear. However, Ukrainian soldiers in this area are holding the front and repelling all attacks.

Map. Bakhmut_2603

Map of changes on the post-Avdiivka front

In a week, Russian troops managed to push the Ukrainian Armed Forces out of Tonenke and Orlivka and occupied these villages. Thus, as expected, the front began to form on both banks of the Durna River and the lakes and floodplains it forms. Heavy fighting continues for the central streets of Berdychiv, where the Ukrainian Defense Forces are holding back Russian troops on the left bank of the river and preventing them from attacking the main line of Ukraine’s defense.

Instead, Russian forces are trying to build on their successes west of Tonenke towards Umanske, where the Ukrainian defense line is positioned. However, to cover these 4 kilometers, Russia will have to suffer thousands of casualties.

The map. Avdiivka_2603

Vuhledar direction

For several months now, Novomykhailivka has been the epicenter of fighting at the junction of the eastern and southern fronts. Despite the fact that Russian troops have been attacking the village from three sides and have made their way to its central part in recent days, the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to hold the line, and the front line remains conditionally stable.

North of Marinka, the Russians attacked again in the direction of Krasnohorivka. They managed to cross the river on a 2 km stretch. This will allow them to attack the village from another direction. The offensive on Heorhiivka is advancing like wildfire - up to a hundred meters in a week.

Ukrainian Armed Forces strike Crimea again

A coordinated attack involving missiles and drones not only targeted two large landing ships, the Yamal and captured in 2014 Ukrainian ship Konstantin Olshansky, in the bay at Sevastopol, but also destroyed two communication centers: the main one of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol and another at the airfield in Belbek. Additionally, the missiles destroyed and damaged at least three Su-27 fighter jets at the airfield. More than 20 explosions were reported near Hvardiyske, where the oil storage facility is located. The strikes also targeted the railway center in Dzhankoy.

The map. Crimea_2603

The largest missile attack on Ukraine this year

In the span of three days, Ukrainians faced a barrage of 98 Kh-101/55 cruise missiles, over 20 Iskander ballistic missiles, 5 Kh-22 missiles, at least 7 Kinzhals, 2 supersonic Zircons, and around 150 Shaheds in most regional centers of the country. This massive attack targeted energy facilities, resulting in power outages in at least 15 cities. Among the hardest-hit regions were Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi, and Lviv, although Kyiv was the primary target.

See the map. Shelling_2603

Striking at the Russian economy

Ukrainian drones successfully targeted another refinery, the Kuibyshev refinery in Samara, which processes over 3 million tons of oil annually, equivalent to 1% of Russia's total oil refining capacity. Across all Russian refineries, approximately 270 million tons of oil are processed each year.

Map. Russian refineries_2603

Over the course of three months, Ukraine has destroyed 9 Russian refineries, collectively responsible for processing 30% of Russia's oil. Additionally, within the 1000-kilometer range of Ukrainian drones, there are 10 more refineries processing 32% of the industry's oil. Therefore, potentially, the drones operated by Ukraine’s Security Service and intelligence could disrupt up to 62% of Russia's oil refining capacity.