Ukrainians encircle and destroy last Russian holdouts south of Dvorichna

Today, there is important news from the Kupiansk direction.

Colombian and Ukrainian forces of the Khartia Corps have completed the liberation of Zapadne, southwest of Dvorichna. The operation culminated with Russian troops inside the settlement effectively encircled after Ukrainian forces systematically severed their remaining connections with surrounding positions.

Before Zapadne itself could be cleared, Ukrainian forces needed to capture the neighboring forest to the east, as earlier Ukrainian advances had already divided the wider Russian Dvorichna bridgehead, leaving this forest exposed to pressure from two directions. Ukrainian drone operators began by systematically dismantling Russian defensive positions as preparation for the decisive operation that involved Colombian volunteers serving with the RUG unit.

Ukrainian FPV drones hunted individual Russian soldiers and struck identified shelters, while heavy Vampire drones dropped explosives onto Russian hideouts, forcing troops from protected positions into exposed terrain. Footage shows numerous Russian shelters burning after repeated strikes, as rather than immediately sending infantry into prepared positions, Ukraine first used drones to progressively destroy Russia’s ability to defend the forest.

Only afterward did the Colombian assault troops move in, with footage showing soldiers advancing on foot across the surrounding fields before entering the forest and clearing it systematically. Remaining Russian hideouts were located, with their defenders either eliminated or captured. The Colombian troops consolidated and secured the forest, finally severing Zapadne completely from all nearby Russian positions.

The situation had now become disastrous for the remaining Russians in the village, as Ukraine controlled three major forest areas around Zapadne from the north, south, and east, while Ukrainian soldiers already maintained positions in the western part of the village. The limited Russian force remaining in eastern Zapadne was consequently surrounded from every direction, with no reliable route to evacuate toward the river and no way to be resupplied.

Ukrainian assault groups then began clearing the settlement itself, as their reconnaissance drones remained overhead, providing live information about Russian movements and directing soldiers toward occupied houses and basements. Russian troops willing to surrender were taken prisoner, while those continuing resistance were engaged with grenades and small-arms fire. The Russian pocket rapidly collapsed, and with the remaining Russian positions eliminated, Ukrainian troops completed the liberation of Zapadne and effectively destroyed the southern part of Russia’s Dvorichna bridgehead.

Russian attempts to stabilize Zapadne through counterattacks and reinforcements repeatedly failed, as every soldier, vehicle, or delivery intended for the bridgehead first had to cross the Oskil, where intense Ukrainian drone activity made movement extremely dangerous. Without reliable supplies or sufficient reinforcements, Russian troops became increasingly isolated, creating the conditions Ukraine needed to attack.

As a result, experienced Ukrainian formations of the Khartia Corps can now concentrate their efforts on Dvorichna, as the southern flank has been fully secured by the Colombians. The underlying Russian weakness remains exactly the same, as the Oskil River separates the bridgehead from the main Russian group of forces, which is still struggling to transport personnel, ammunition, and equipment across the river. While Ukrainian reconnaissance and strike drones monitor potential crossing points and engage any enemy movement, Russian drone and artillery support remains limited, further compounding the problem.

Overall, Zapadne demonstrates how Ukraine is dismantling another Russian bridgehead piece by piece. First, Ukrainian advances divided it; then drone operators isolated individual positions and destroyed all Russian shelters. Colombian assault troops subsequently cleared the forests, completed the encirclement, and eliminated the pocket inside the village. Now with the southern Russian flank collapsed, if Ukraine applies the same combination of reconnaissance, drone strikes, and experienced assault infantry against Dvorichna, Russia’s remaining foothold west of the Oskil could face the same fate.