File image.
A tank brigade that was previously deployed on the Vovchansk axis is being redeployed to Sumy. A Russian armored column advanced toward Petropavlovka, and captured new positions. Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Ukraine should continue to exist as a «buffer state» between Russia and NATO.
Sumy Sector
The Russian «North» group has intensified offensive operations on several sections in the Sumy region. The group’s assault units have advanced on eight sections, gaining up to 700 meters. Air and artillery strikes hit identified Ukrainian targets and defensive positions there.
There is emerging information about a gradual shift in Ukrainian command priorities towards the Sumy region. Units of the 4th Separate Tank Brigade, which were previously deployed on the Vovchansk axis, are being transferred in this direction. This may indicate an attempt to strengthen the defense of the Sumy sector of the front.
One attack by the Ukrainian 225th Separate Assault Regiment was recorded on one of the offensive flanks. The attack was repelled, and the units withdrew to their initial positions. Artillery units and drone operators of the “North” group struck identified positions in the Pavlovka and Ryzhevka areas.
Kharkiv Sector
Units of the «North» group are advancing confidently within the city limits of Vovchansk and in the surrounding settlements and forests. On the left bank of the Vovcha River in Vovchansk, they made advances on four axes, advancing up to 500 meters in total.
In the Vilcha area, assault groups advanced approximately 150 meters. Combat continues on the northern and western outskirts of Vilcha. Controlling Vilcha would allow for an offensive to develop towards Bely Kolodets.
Russian aviation continues to strike deployment points and rear facilities. An airstrike in the area of Bugaevka destroyed the headquarters of the «Shkval» special battalion of the Ukrainian 57th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade. The deputy chief of staff of this battalion was reportedly killed in the strike. In the Melovoye-Khatneye sector, Russian aviation targeted the Ukrainian 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade’s positions in Grigorovka.
Fighting continues in the Liman area, where units are conducting assault operations. Meanwhile, the fighting along the Vovchansk-Chugunovka highway has stalled.
Siversk Sector
Russian units have transitioned to a phase of systematic pressure. They are concentrating their efforts on two key areas: the northern part of Zvanovka and the northeastern part of Sviato-Pokrovske. Securing these areas would allow them to control the logistics corridor leading to Siversk and cut off the supply and rotation of Ukrainian troops within the city limits.
Offensive actions have also intensified from the Vasyukovka and Pazeno directions toward Nikiforovka. This movement enables the formation of a pressure arc that threatens the tactical encirclement of Khromnoye and Bondarnoye from two directions. These actions force the defenders to spread their forces thin, reducing the stability of the defensive line overall in the sectors between ravines and tree lines.
The intensification of combat in the Sviato-Pokrovske area aims to establish a bridgehead for the subsequent broader envelopment of Siversk. Consolidation in this area will establish the foundation for forming an operational ring around the city, which would block the maneuvering and supply of the Ukrainian forces.
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Kupyansk Sector
The Russian army launched an offensive with an armored column toward Petropavlovka. Ukrainian forces attacked the column with drones. Russian troops advanced to a new position on the outskirts of Petropavlovka, expanding the zone by 1.5 km along the front.
Russian forces face fierce resistance near Kupyansk, a strategically vital area for Ukraine. A successful offensive from the south could radically change the balance of forces in this sector.
To implement this scenario, Russian units must cut off the crossings in the Kupyansk-Uzlovoy area and establish full control over the Zagryzovo-Podliman area, located 20–40 km south. The successful and rapid completion of these tasks would theoretically open up opportunities to develop an offensive similar to actions in other sectors of the front. This could lead to advances towards Chuhuiv and Velykyi Burluk. Controlling the latter, in turn, could facilitate cutting off the troop grouping west of Vovchansk.
Conclusion
As of November 29, the operational situation on the main axes is characterized by the maintenance of offensive action dynamics. On the Sumy axis, there has been an increase in pressure with advances on several sections, to which the Ukrainian command is responding by redeploying reserves, specifically units of the 4th Separate Tank Brigade. Key events are unfolding in Vovchansk on the Kharkiv axis, where there is a gradual advance within the city limits and on the flanks, accompanied by effective airstrikes on rear facilities and command posts. For example, the headquarters of the «Shkval» special battalion in Bugaevka was struck. On the Siversk axis, the tactics have shifted towards putting systematic pressure on the logistics corridors leading to Siversk, which threatens to encircle the city from the southwest. Strategic tension persists on the Kupyansk axis, where the sides struggle for control of key crossings and bridgeheads. The outcome will determine the potential to alter the entire front line configuration in this region.
As developments on the front continue, various initiatives for a post-war settlement are being voiced at the diplomatic level. Following his negotiations in Moscow, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Ukraine should continue to exist as a «buffer state» between Russia and NATO. Orbán outlined a vision in which the post-war order would be based on the principle that Russia would retain the territories agreed upon at an international conference and that everything west of that line would constitute Ukrainian territory. He believes that Russia and NATO should agree on the size and composition of the Ukrainian armed forces in this buffer zone and provide joint guarantees of its status. These statements, along with previous criticism of Kyiv by European politicians, suggest an active search for different settlement models, which aligns with the ongoing shift in the operational situation in favor of Russian forces.
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