RU POV: Russian and Ukrainian advances from Day 964 to 966 of the War - Suriyakmaps

Kicking off with the Kursk region, Russian troops made more progress on the north side, capturing the remainder of Liubimovka (part of which can be seen here). I’d also like to point that the weather has become much colder and wetter this week, as you can see in recent videos, as mud season in now well and truly in swing.

Despite all the fighting there are a lack of updates due to the fog of war, as footage is sporadic, and its unclear exactly who controls what in some of these parts. As of this update fighting was ongoing in Tolstyi Lug and in Novoivanovka, however a lot of this part of the front has changed to grey zone, as multiple videos have shown Ukrainian troops retreating from this area (video 1, video 2). Ukraine’s counterattacks towards Zeleny Shlyakh look to have so far failed, forcing their retreat.

Over near Lyptsi, Ukraine recapturd part of the forest area northeast of the town, following on from another advance they made their in early September (Day 924). Ukraine’s GUR made a video about recapturing this area, although their announcement is a bit baffling given how small this area is, and its relative lack of importance. The GUR did something similar with their capture of the aggregate plant (which is actually important), although it backfired on them when Russia retook it a few weeks later. Overall the back and forth fighting around Lyptsi will continue, far lower in intensity and importance compared to most other fronts.

On the Siversk front, Russian troops took control over the “White hill” north of Verkhnokamyanske. Capturing this height is important for taking control and holding Verkhnokamyanske, as whoever possesses it is able to fire down upon most of the town. It also provides good line of sight over the hilly area to the north (currently greyzone), which may aid Russia in securing that area.

On the Selydove/Kurakhove front, Russian troops made a few small advances, one to the west, capturing a treeline and some trenches, the other to the south, capturing another (smaller) treeline. Russia is still heavily shelling Novoselydivka (red dot under k), but has so far failed to get a foothold in the village. Clashes are also ongoing along the main road on the southwest side of Selydove, as Russian forces continue their push to cut the city off from supplies.

Around Katerynivka, following days of shelling, Russian assault groups pushed forward, establishing a small foothold on the southeastern side of the town, as well as capturing most of the outskirts. The battle for Katerynivka has officially begun, and will likely continue well into November.

On the Oskil River front, Russian troops made more progress in Kolisnykivka, capturing more of the eastern houses and the treelines along the main road. This advance also puts Russia in physical control of the main supply route for Ukraine from Kupyansk to the south, although there are a couple of other dirt/local paths so this area hasn’t been completely cut off just yet. For those interesting in the stats, Russia is now just 1.62km away from the Oskil River, and cutting this front in half (although the last km is just trees and shrubbery).

ollowing on from Picture 1, Russian forces have been confirmed to control Novaya Sorochina, a little less than a week since the assaults on the village were first reported. This advance severely complicates Ukrainian positions in the villages and forests north of Novaya Sorochina, as their only supply route is through the open fields west of village (so the area above the a). If Ukraine is not able to unblock the road in this area and recapture Novaya Sorochina, they will almost certainly have to retreat, as trying to maintain their positions with such exposed flanks and supply lines is simply far too risky.

Some Russian sources also reported they advanced into Viktorovka (blue dot below k) from the west, however this could not be confirmed. If this was true, the entire Ukrainian grouping in this area would be effectively encircled.

Following on from Picture 4, Russian troops won their clashes along the railway line mentioned previously, and have successfully reach the main road on the southwestern side of Selydove. This cuts 1 of the only 3 supply routes for Ukrainian forces inside the city, with the northern one under threat, and the western one just 1.5km away from this advance.

Back to the Oskil River front, after a little over a week of clashes in and around Vyshneve, Russia troops have successfully entered the village, capturing the southern half. Ukrainian troops are trying to hold onto northern warehouses, with clashes currently taking place, but are unlikely to succeed.

In Chasiv Yar, Russian assault groups in the eastern suburbs made a small bit of progress, capturing another block of houses. The fighting within Chasiv Yar remains positional, with Ukraine launching the occasional counterattack with vehicles to try flush the few Russian infantry out from their positions in the basements, to varying success.

The bigger piece of news on this front was evidence of (relatively) large Russian advances south of the town. Following their earlier success from a few days ago in establishing a bridgehead over the canal, Russian assault groups pushed deep into Ukrainian lines, capturing multiple trench networks, treelines and fields, as well as reaching the mine complex directly south of Chasiv Yar.

This complicates Ukraine’s defence of Chasiv Yar, as now on top of attacks from the eastern suburbs, and Kalinina to the north (just off map), Ukraine also now has to defend from possible attacks from the south into the suburbs or forest area. This does not necessarily mean the battle will speed up from here, as Ukraine has many units assigned to this front, so will be able to respond, but it does increase the pressure and likelihood of further breaches in Ukraine’s lines.

Following on from Picture 8, Russian troops made yet another advance along the railway, capturing the treelines on the other side of the main road, as they head towards Vyshneve (blue dot above r). There are some early reports that at least 1 Russian DRG (recon and sabotage group) had reached Vyshneve already, and pulled back after probing Ukrainian defences, hence the greyzone along the railway line. If Ukraine cannot counterattack or halt Russia’s advance towards Vyshneve, there is a good chance that Selydove will be completely cut off from supply, or possibly even encircled (pic below).

On the Kurakhove front, over the past week Russian attacks into Maksymilyanivka ramped up, with them being confirmed to have captured the town today. Ukrainian troops were unable to withstand the assaults, coming from both the northern hills and the eastern side, and were forced back to Kurakhove itself (although some troops didn't make it out). If you remember my comments from a few weeks ago, I predicted this exact situation occurring once Russia captured the hills north of Maksymilyanivka.

From here, Russian troops will likely spend a few days clearing the town and moving supplies up, before making any assault attempts on Kurakhove. The battle for Kurakhove will thus likely begin within the next week, however it will still take Russia some time to reach Kurakhove proper, as the outermost suburbs are quite separated from the bulk of the town (pic below). Kurakhove is a veritable fortress, with multiple lines of defence, numerous dugouts/bunkers, and a heavily entrenched Ukrainian garrison. The battle for the town will likely drag on well into 2025, unless Russia are able to cut it off through their advances north of the reservoir.