April 25–May 3 live war map: Russian forces prepare for their final offensive

Based on the results of April, several trends can be identified. The Ukrainian Defense Forces have mostly stabilized the front, particularly in the Pokrovsk direction. At the same time, the most critical remain the Lyman, Toretsk, and Novopavlivka fronts, where the Russians are advancing slowly but steadily.

Despite the slowdown in the offensive in mid-April, the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to neutralize nearly 36,500 Russian soldiers. For the third month in a row, the price the enemy pays for every meter captured remains high. In particular, Russian forces occupied 175 square kilometers, meaning the cost per square kilometer is 208 Russians. This is a new record in the war, set by our soldiers despite the decrease in the rate of eliminating invaders.

Ukraine Russia war live map, April 25 - May 3, Photo: Espreso

Another trend is the mass shift of Russians from "meat" assaults to motorcycle assaults. This is especially facilitated by dry weather, the appearance of greenery, and a severe shortage of armored vehicles. This is their response to Ukrainian drone defense strategy. As a result, the Armed Forces of Ukraine set an absolute record for destroyed vehicles—4,100 units—and this number will continue to grow.

infografic, Photo: Espreso

The drone line, which expanded the kill zone on the front, allowed it to be stabilized. Impressive figures were cited by Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi: in two months, the Defense Forces struck more than 160,000 targets with drones.

After May 9, the enemy will launch a new major offensive, which will last until late autumn. It is likely to be the last offensive in this phase of the war, so the Russians want to capture as much as possible in already partially occupied regions, as well as enter new oblasts to have better negotiating positions. Primarily, this concerns Dnipropetrovsk region and Sumy region.

Russian forces failed in their offensive on Novopavlivka and Komar

On the front from Novosilka to Kostiantynopil, the invading Russian forces have very modest results both monthly and weekly. They have not managed to break through from Dniproenerhiya to Komar. The Defense Forces are still fighting for Andriivka and Kostiantynopil, which the Russians declared occupied at least a month ago. The greatest enemy advance was near the already fully occupied Rozlyv. Here, on an 8-kilometer section of the front, the invaders are advancing widely on Odradne and Bahatyr, which is the next significant Ukrainian fortified area on their path. In recent days, they have made two breakthroughs of several kilometers toward the road to Bahatyr, and the village itself is under massive bombardment by glide bombs.

Ukraine Russia war live map, April 25 - May 3, Photo: Espreso

This southern offensive threatens the collapse of the defense of Kostiantynopil, but here the Defense Forces are not in a hurry to withdraw. This week, after the Russians advanced in the southern part of the village, the Armed Forces of Ukraine counterattacked and recaptured half of the seized territory. The invaders, in turn, took a significant part of the gray zone north of Andriivka. Since they still cannot fully capture the village itself, they will likely try to bypass it from the north.

Instead of Pokrovsk – Dnipropetrovsk region

On the northern part of the Novopavlivka front, the Russian forces have essentially become stuck and are advancing only a few meters per day. Over the past week, they managed to slightly expand their zone of control north of the occupied Nadiivka, as well as to the west of it toward Kotliarivka. After reassessing their capabilities, the Russians stopped advancing along a broad front and focused on pinpoint strikes aimed at reaching Dnipropetrovsk region, which they needed solely for an information campaign to exert political pressure via the United States. In two weeks, they have moved another 500 meters closer to the administrative border.

Ukraine Russia war live map, April 25 - May 3, Photo: Espreso

A similar situation is observed on the right flank of the Pokrovsk front. Here, the enemy had some success south of the Solona River, where they have almost occupied (for the second time) Uspenivka, and have again expanded the combat zone toward Novooleksandrivka. However, north of the river, the Defense Forces not only stabilized the front but also pushed the Russians south of Udachne. There are significantly fewer frontal attacks on Pokrovsk itself, as Putin’s forces are concentrating on the flanks.

Battles for Kostiantynivka are already at the doorstep

The worst situation has developed on the Toretsk front and the left flank of the Pokrovsk front, which the Russians have effectively combined in their offensive toward Kostiantynivka, where they have made the most progress. In particular, the battle to reach the Pokrovsk–Kostiantynivka highway has intensified, and capturing it would mark the beginning of the battles for Kostiantynivka. The enemy has not yet secured positions on the highway, but their presence is recorded at several points. From Vozdvyzhenka, Russian forces advanced along the road junction and attacked Malynivka. Slightly further north, they bypassed Ukrainian positions in Vodiane Druhe and captured Tarasivka, while motorcycle units tried to break into Novoolenivka. This forced the Defense Forces to withdraw from Vodiane Druhe to Nova Poltavka, on the other side of the highway, although fighting in Novoolenivka and Oleksandropil is still ongoing. Despite counterattacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stabilizing the front here is currently not possible—it is gradually shifting toward Kostiantynivka.

Ukraine Russia war live map, April 25 - May 3, Photo: Espreso

In another sector, the enemy occupied Sukha Balka and advanced another 2 km north along the Donetsk–Kostiantynivka highway. Since the Klyeban-Bykivske Reservoir stands as an obstacle on the way to the city, the Russians are attacking in a way that allows them to bypass it from both sides. Thus, in addition to advancing along both highways, they are also attacking from Toretsk, where Russian forces are trying to move beyond the city and attack toward Pleshchiivka. Although the Ukrainian Armed Forces are repelling attacks here, the enemy constantly seeks to widen the front line to break through the defense. In recent days, the invaders have not only captured several streets in Toretsk but have also advanced north of the city toward Dachne. This could also affect the defense along the Siverskyi Donets–Donbas Canal and the defense of Chasiv Yar, without which an assault on Kostiantynivka would not be possible. Although a rapid breakthrough by Russian forces is unlikely here, Kostiantynivka remains the main target of Putin’s summer offensive.

Lyman and Borova fronts

This is the second most critical section of the front. Although the pace of the enemy’s advance is not high, they are making steady progress here. The Russians were unable to advance through Yampolivka toward Lyman over the past month, so they shifted their focus northward, where they are simultaneously trying to cut off logistics from Lyman and reach the southern approaches to Borova. Over the past week, they have almost occupied the village of Nove, and fighting is ongoing for neighboring Lypove. If the enemy manages to break through our defenses here, the Russians will gain operational space to advance westward, all the way to Karpivka. Advancing on Borova, the attackers managed to expand the combat zone from Katerynivka to Novomykhailivka by 3.5 km and 1.5 km deep. Novomykhailivka has now become an area of active fighting.

Ukraine Russia war live map, April 25 - May 3, Photo: Espreso

Sumy region prepares for defense

Although the Ukrainian Armed Forces still have a minimal presence in the Kursk region, this offensive campaign is gradually crossing the border and turning into a defensive mission for the Sumy region. The Russians have occupied the border village of Hornal, while Ukrainian soldiers are holding the last village in the Kursk region—Oleshnya.

Meanwhile, the gray zone in the north of the Sumy region is expanding. The enemy has already been eliminated in Bilovody and Loknya, which remain under our control. Veselivka, Zhuravka, and Basivka have firmly become part of the gray kill zone not controlled by the Defense Forces.

Ukraine Russia war live map, April 25 - May 3, Photo: Espreso

In the Belgorod region, Ukrainian troops had to withdraw from Demidivka, and there was heavy fighting for Popivka. The enemy’s sabotage and reconnaissance groups are probing the territory along the border in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, searching for weak spots. In this way, they are preparing for their upcoming offensive, which will begin soon after May 9.

Meanwhile, for two days in a row, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have attacked air defense systems in Crimea and the naval base in Novorossiysk. The Russian invaders, anticipating May 9, are actively preparing to defend the Crimean Bridge, as missile strikes usually follow after air defense systems are hit.

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