Today, the biggest news comes from the Liman direction. Here, Ukraine’s advances are steadily dismantling what had been Russia’s most successful bridgehead west of the Zherebets River. By attacking it from several sides, Ukraine is now threatening the whole Russian northern pincer against Liman with total collapse. On the northern flank of the Russian bridgehead, Ukrainian forces have liberated Nove after months of pressure against Russia’s One-hundred-forty-fourth Motorized Rifle Division. The Ukrainian Third Corps has conducted offensive operations while deliberately limiting information for operational security. Ukrainian troops approached Nove, with the idea of turning the settlement into the next stepping stone toward Zelena Dolyna. Following a short operational pause, Ukrainian attacks resumed as FPV drones systematically searched Russian positions, striking exposed Russian infantry and isolating dugouts before assault troops advanced. Released footage shows Russian soldiers being eliminated or forced to surrender as their positions became increasingly untenable. With Nove cleared, Ukraine has expanded its northern pincer and moved closer to severing the entire Russian foothold west of the river. Simultaneously, Ukrainian forces are tightening the southwestern side of the bridgehead. Assaults are developing toward Kolodiazi, whose capture could allow Ukrainian groups to push toward Ivanivka and threaten the remaining Russian forces with complete isolation. However, before developing this attack, Ukraine needed to secure the small settlement Yarova farther west. The village had never been firmly consolidated by Russia, but infiltrators repeatedly entered through surrounding forest belts. Once Ukrainian counterattacks against the bridgehead intensified, Russian commanders began pushing additional infantry toward Yarova, hoping to establish positions capable of threatening the flank of Ukraine’s advance. Ukrainian drone operators therefore turned the approaches into an interception zone, as FPV drones monitored forest strips previously used by Russian infantry and attacked reinforcement groups attempting to enter the settlement. Once these routes were effectively suppressed, Ukrainian ground forces moved into Yarova and conducted clearing operations. Eliminating the remaining Russian presence secured the southwestern flank and denied the enemy another position from which it could disrupt the developing Ukrainian counterattack. Together, these movements place Russia’s bridgehead in an increasingly dangerous position. Ukraine is pressing from Nove in the north, toward Kolodiazi from the south, and through the secured Yarova sector from the southwest. If these vectors converge toward Ivanivka and the river crossings, the Russian Twentieth Army’s foothold west of the Zherebets could be cut apart completely. At the same time, the Russian troops inside the bridgehead are already in a semi-encirclement and are unable to maintain reliable logistics across the Zherebets. River crossings and approaches remain vulnerable to Ukrainian FPV drones and artillery, with Russian soldiers who infiltrated westward increasingly becoming isolated pockets rather than components of a sustainable offensive formation. This makes the transformation of the battle particularly damaging for the Russian command and political leadership, as what initially appeared to be Russia’s most promising breakthroughs is gradually being compressed back toward its original starting line. For months, Russian commanders continued feeding reinforcements across the river, but Ukraine did not need to eliminate the bridgehead immediately. Instead, it allowed Russian reserves to enter an increasingly lethal kill zone while drones and artillery steadily attrited them. Overall, the Ukrainian Third Corps appears to be exploiting that accumulated weakness through a coordinated multi-vector counteroffensive. Russia’s pincer has therefore reversed direction: instead of expanding outward, its remaining foothold is being squeezed toward vulnerable river crossings. If Ukrainian forces complete the connection between these advancing vectors, months of Russian reinforcement efforts could end with the bridgehead eliminated altogether.
Source: BREAKING NEWS: Most successful Russian offensive in 2026 is finally falling apart!
