Don's Weekly, 14 April 2025: Part 1

by Donald Hill (intro by Tom Cooper)

Hello everybody!

Sure, we’re kind of ‘silent’ the last week. That said,

• Don and me are busy trying to figure out what exactly is being reformed - and how - in regards of the Corps-command reform within the ZSU; and

• how is the responsibility for UAV-strikes distributed (between the ZSU and the SBU);

• the collection Rickshaws for the ZSU is going on, and Anastasiia and Eduard are in the process of checking two cars in Germany (in addition to Anastasiia shipping additional supplies to a number of ZSU units, as usually);

• Benjamin has actually readied a very nice feature on how much are the USA actually ‘earning’ from Ukraine, but I haven’t found the necessary ‘few minutes of time’ to post it; and that partially because,.

• I’m also trying to sort out deliveries of F-16s to Ukraine (at least 33 jets should’ve reached the PSU so far; 31 are still around, but their availability is - expectedly - lower than that), and diverse other details regarding air warfare, while

With other words: even when we’re ‘quiet’, the work is going on… just like this war is going on, regardless of all the ‘fantastic’ announcements about negotiations, cease-fires, and other… sigh… hogwash.

Thus, please have some more patience with us for ‘more’: we’re certainly going to get back with much more analysis. It’s just so that ‘good things are taking their time’.

Meanwhile, here’s Don’s review of developments of the last week.

***

Kursk

Russia moved into Zhurivka and raised the flag in the border village. The 129th Brigade mined the road west of Guyevo with drones at night. Four Russian vehicles were immobilized and later destroyed. The 22nd Special Purpose Battalion attacked Russians inside Guyevo itself, and the Russians advanced southwest of Guyeno.

Illustrating the continuous ferocity of the Russian onslaught on Ukraine, on just one day, April 9th, the adjacent Sumy region was subjected to 183 attacks from artillery, bombs, missiles and drones, with 370 explosions were documented. Krasnopilska is constantly heavily targeted and was hit by 50 bombs dropped by the Russian air force that day, as well as 112 artillery and mortar attacks.

The 47th Brigade hunts Russians with drones.

A Ukrainian air strike destroys a bridge in northern Sudzha.

***

Belogorod

A Ukrainian airstrike destroys three buildings in Goptarovka and another one hits Russians at an intersection 1500 meters south of Demidovka. Russian immobilizes and then destroys an M1 tank 2500 meters from Russia. The Russian airstrikes hit the woods around Demidovka and Popovka but they have yet to be geo-located.

Russia reports that there are several hundred Ukrainian drone strikes in this sector every day.

A Russian assault hit Demidovka and the 47th Brigade eliminated them.

***

Kupiansk

For all the heavy fighting of the last week, no territory changed hands. Both sides are fighting in Kamianka. A Russian assault from Orlianka was defeated, as was the assault north of Lozova. Two Russian assaults were defeated back on April 6th.

***

Terny

Russian infantry was attacked as they tried to pass through Ivanivka, but Russia still made significant progress in the area, which included standing with the flag on the street in Katerynivka. A Ukrainian-occupied house is shelled in Torske and Russia made some progress towards Yampolivka.

***

(…to be continued…)