Don's Weekly, 24 February 2025: Part 1

by Donald Hill

Hello everybody!

It’s Monday and thus the time for a review of developments around the battlefields in Ukraine. Sure, the overall intensity of fighting is significantly down, but lots of battles continue raging.

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Kursk

With heavy fighting at many locations, Sverdlikovo fell to the Russians, they moved into northern Pogrebki and recovered Fanaseevka, too.

Ukraine shelled Russian positions on the border near Volfinskii.

The North Koreans had a foothold in Nikolskii. A Russian column moved across an open field to reinforce them and ran into mines, drones and artillery. Several vehicles and hundreds of men were lost.

Russian drones attack a Ukrainian drone team north of Malaya Loknya.

1500 meters east of Pogrebki, Russian tanks shell Ukrainian positions.

The 129th Brigade stops a Russian assault. A Ukrainian airstrike hit a house west of the Psel river, indicating a Russian presence there.

Russian forces advance into Fanaseevka.

Drones attack a Bradley and a Bushmaster in Sudzha.

Russian airstrikes 6 km and 8 km south of Sudzha.

Budanov says that about 4,000 North Koreans have been killed or seriously wounded. He claims they are ‘embedded’ with Russian units (rather unlikely, considering language barriers), are training with new equipment and are fast learners (hear, hear…). While there is no evidence of infantry reinforcements, there are more artillery and missile units with support personnel. The KN-23 missile that North Korea provided to Russia was very inaccurate, as it could be 500-1500 meters off target, but Russian modifications improved its accuracy (North Koreans are certainly a topic we intend to address to more ‘depth’, at the next best opportunity).

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Despite the fighting, the front lines remained stable.

Achilles destroys a Russian assault 5 km south of Pischane before they reach the front lines.

A house in the occupied village of Kruhliakivka is attacked by Ukrainian drones.

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Siversk

A motorcycle assault towards Vasiukivka is torn apart by drones.

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Chasiv Yar

A Russian MRL attack north of the Chasiv Yar.

The Phoenix drone unit attacks a turtle tank several times.

Ukrainian shells and drones hit Russian targets in Ivanivske, which Russia uses as a staging ground.

19 km northeast of Chasiv Yar, a Russian motorcycle assault is defeated by the 30th Brigade.

Citizens and cats loiter in the open 3500 meters from the fighting in Zalizne.

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Toretsk

The Azov Brigade pushed back the Russian positions at Leonidivka for about three weeks now. It’s been three weeks since Russia last gained any territory in Toretsk. Since then, the Ukrainian attacks have been relentless and they’ve reached the center of the town. Russia is not conducting any offensive actions and is trying to maintain the positions they have.

The International Legion uses a automatic grenade launcher to hit targets that are likely 1500 meters away in the center of Toretsk. Pockets of bypassed Russians are cleaned out at various locations. Russians are attacked in the west of the town at multiple locations.

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Pokrovsk

A Russian attack towards Udachne is heavily shelled and defeated. Ukrainian positions in Pishchane were attacked by Russia. Ukraine took control of Lysivka and Russia was able to expand around Baranivka.

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The 15th Kara-Dag Brigade using a reconnaissance drone spotted fiber optic cables that reflected the sunlight. They traced the cables to a building 6 km behind the front lines and attacked it with drones, killing five Russian drone operators.

A battalion of Magyar’s 414th Brigade attack a variety of targets.

Russian reconnaissance drones are intercepted.

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Andriivka

Eventually, between 15 and 19 February, the Ukrainians have evacuated all territory east of Ulakly, significantly decreasing the ‘cauldron’ the Russian advances around their flanks have created. The number of casualties was not reported. The Russians solidified their control of Ulakly and moved closer to Kostiantynopil. And the Russians and Ukrainians swapped territory around Andriivka.

The 46th Brigade attacks Russian targets in northern Andriivka.

Russian assaults come under fire as they approach Kostiantynopil and Ulakly. Ulakly was hit by 8 airstrikes, heavy artillery and large amount of drone strikes before being taken. Kostiantynopil was hit by airstrikes.

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Velyka Novosilka

Russia advanced about two kilometers across a 14 km front. Novosilka was taken by Russia despite shelling by Ukraine. Skudne was hit by Russian rockets, and the 110th Brigade engages Russian attack columns north of Novy Komar, but Novoocheretuvate was taken.

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Zaporizhzhia

One kilometer south of Piatykhatky the 128th Brigade destroys a Russian assault.

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Kherson

In eastern Oleshky, a Ukrainian airstrike hits a cellulose factory, an element in explosives. An underground room was hit but the main building was unharmed, and this was the second attack on the facilities.

Three Russian bombs hit the middle of Kherson.

A Russian artillery piece is tracked and destroyed 15 km from the river.

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Territories

A Russian responsible for financing and building fortifications in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region was killed in Berdyansk when his car exploded.

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Unknown Location

Russian motorcyclists run across mines in the road, as seen from their point of view.

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(…to be continued…)