Colombians close around the last Russian stronghold and put Russians to siege

Today, the most important news comes from the Kupiansk direction.

Here, Ukrainian and Colombian forces conducted a new localised counterattack around Dvorichna, putting the last Russian stronghold under siege west of the Oskil River. Notably, Ukrainian forces recaptured the village of Fyholivka, which is strategically located on the road leading to Dvorichna from the north.

Using Fyholivka, Ukrainian and Colombian forces can now assault Dvorichna from all sides. As the size of the bridgehead shrinks, Russia is forced to supply the town over an increasingly narrow stretch of river and use limited crossings, which are under constant monitoring by Ukrainian drones. Additionally, Ukrainian and Colombian units are now positioned in the forested areas only two kilometers from the town, which makes the accumulation of forces for assaults much easier, allowing them to assault from a forward position, reducing Russia’s time to react.

However, Ukrainian forces also face significant challenges during their counterattacks. The most difficult stage is getting the assault groups to Dvorichna without being detected, as Russian drones constantly monitor the routes and remotely lay mines to disrupt an attack before it begins. To prevent this, Ukrainian forces carry out additional reconnaissance immediately before moving out, gathering intelligence on Russian positions, identifying the location and strength of enemy troops, and using drones and other assets to suppress Russian defenses and support the advancing assault groups. The forests north of Kupiansk are particularly valuable because they provide cover for Ukrainian and Colombian forces to assemble and move toward their objectives while reducing their exposure to Russian drone surveillance.

They accumulate forces south of the town and will attack along the river, which protects their eastern flank during the assault. Ukrainians are also positioned in the forest patches west of Dvorichna, which they can reinforce by advancing through tree lines, as these provide concealment during troop rotations. With the recent capture of Fyholivka, Ukrainian forces can now also use the road to use armored vehicles to deploy troops directly inside Dvorichna. This methodical combination of reconnaissance, concealed troop movements, fire support, and coordinated assault groups is therefore central to how the Ukrainian-Colombian unit operates. As the assault troops are now ready for attack, these preparations will help them to recapture Dvorichna as Ukraine moves toward the final assault and siege of the town.

To assess the operation aimed at destroying the Russian bridgehead, Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mykhailo Drapatyi, visited the unit’s headquarters and frontline sector. Drapatyi met with the twenty-third RUG Assault Regiment, whose ranks are almost fully filled with Colombians. During the visit, the regiment’s commander briefed Drapatyi on recent assault operations, the elimination of Russian infiltrations, and the liberation of key positions in the Kharkiv region. Drapatyi also focused on how foreign volunteers are being recruited, organized, and integrated into combat operations, highlighting their critical role in the ongoing counteroffensive. This visit highlighted the importance of this counterattack because, despite Ukrainians liberating Kupiansk in March of this year, Russia’s Dvorichna bridgehead to the north of the city was left intact. This allowed them to continue to infiltrate the city, which is why Ukraine needs to eliminate the bridgehead.

Overall, the Ukrainians are laying siege to Dvorichna to eliminate the last stronghold in the Russian salient. With Ukrainian forces advancing from multiple directions, Russia’s main stronghold on the western bank of the Oskil is increasingly coming under pressure from all sides. If Ukraine succeeds in taking Dvorichna, it would remove a key Russian foothold and significantly reduce Moscow’s ability to launch further infiltrations toward Kupiansk.