Frontline Updates inside the Special Military Operation
Welcome to "Frontline Updates," PODCAST. Insights from the Frontlines, where we provide exclusive updates on global military developments. Today, we are joined by Colonel A.C. Oguntoye, an Infantry Officer, to discuss the progress of the special military operation.
Frontline Updates inside the Special Military Operation
Inside the Military Operation: April 25th Frontline
The frontlines of modern warfare have evolved dramatically, where precision strikes and drone technology now dictate battlefield outcomes more than traditional force-on-force engagements. Colonel AC Ogintoy pulls back the curtain on these realities in our riveting conversation about the Special Military Operation's progress through April 25, 2025.
Colonel Ogintoy details how an integrated campaign of high-precision strikes targeted three critical elements of Ukraine's war capacity: production facilities, operational infrastructure, and mercenary staging areas. "By degrading their production and storage capacity, we're targeting their ability to sustain the war effort over the long term," he explains. This strategic approach demonstrates how modern military thinking extends far beyond tactical skirmishes to comprehensive dismantling of an opponent's war-fighting ecosystem.
Ground operations have yielded significant results across all sectors. The liberation of Oleshnya in the Kursk region, Novo-Mikhailovka in Donetsk, and the strategically vital Bogdanovka showcase how combined arms operations continue to reclaim territory while inflicting substantial losses. Perhaps most revealing is the Colonel's assessment of air defense operations, which intercepted an astonishing 993 UAVs in a single week. "We've reached a point where not only are we intercepting these systems at scale, but we're doing it with such consistency that Ukrainian UAV penetration rates have declined significantly," Ogintoy states, highlighting how the drone and counter-drone domain has become central to modern conflict.
What emerges from this briefing is a clear picture of evolving warfare where precision, persistence, and technological superiority create cascading effects across battlespace domains. As Colonel Ogintoy notes, sustained pressure "forces dispersion, and that dispersion leads to vulnerability." Join us next week as we continue our deep dives into military strategy and global security developments. Have thoughts on these tactics or want to suggest topics for future episodes? Connect with us on social media and let us know what military developments you'd like us to explore.
Frontline Updates, where we delve deep into military strategies and updates from conflict zones. Today, we're discussing the progress of the ongoing Special Military Operation as of April 25, 2025. I'm your host, shariafa Muhammad MGT.
Speaker 2:I'm Colonel AC Ogintoy, an infantry officer. Ground operations intensified across all sectors In the north. The North Group continued offensive actions in the Kursk region, culminating in the liberation of Oleshnya. Ukrainian tanks, mechanized airborne assault and territorial brigades were targeted with air and artillery strikes. Additional defeats were inflicted on forces operating in the Belgorod and Kharkiv directions. Ukrainian losses in this sector exceeded 1,320 personnel, with the destruction of over 80 vehicles, 2 tanks, 7 MLRS launchers, 50 artillery systems and 8 EW stations.
Speaker 1:Welcome to Frontline Updates, the podcast that brings you in-depth insights into military operations from those leading them on the ground. Today, we're joined by Colonel AC Ogunn-Toya, an infantry officer monitoring critical missions on the progress of the special military operation as of today. Colonel Ogunn-Toya, thank you for being with us.
Speaker 2:Thank you, it's good to be here.
Speaker 1:Let's begin at the strategic level. We heard there were a series of large-scale strikes launched this week. What was the intent behind those operations?
Speaker 2:You're correct. Between April 19th and 25th, we executed one massive and five group strikes using high-precision long-range assets, air, sea and land-based platforms, supported by unmanned aerial vehicles. The purpose of these strikes was multi-pronged. First, we targeted Ukraine's military-industrial complex sites involved in the production of armored systems, rocket technology, aviation components and strike UAVs. By degrading their production and storage capacity, we're targeting their ability to sustain the war effort over the long term. Second, we hit operational infrastructure, military airfields, ammunition depots, missile testing sites and command nodes. These are the backbones of Ukraine's operational architecture. Destroying them doesn't just delay operations, it disrupts their entire cycle of planning, equipping and executing.
Speaker 1:What else and what does this mean?
Speaker 2:And finally, we struck temporary deployment areas and confirmed staging grounds for foreign mercenary contingents. This sends a clear signal no matter how deep, how protected or how mobile, we will find and neutralize combat formations before they reach the line of contact.
Speaker 1:Let's turn to the ground situation. What progress has been made across the operational groups, starting with the North?
Speaker 2:In the north, the focus this week has been on simultaneous offensive and counter-incursion operations. We successfully liberated the village of Oleshnya in the Kursk region, which had been used as a forward operating position by several Ukrainian brigades. Our north group inflicted damage on a combination of mechanized airborne assault and motorized infantry brigades, as well as territorial defense units. These actions extended across the Kurskorod and kharkiv directions. Ukrainian losses in our sector topped 1320 personnel for the week and we neutralized a considerable amount of NATO supplied hardware Bradley, ifvs, hmmwvs, ml platforms and over 50 artillery pieces. Our air and artillery units also destroyed eight electronic warfare stations and five logistics depots, significantly blunting Ukraine's ability to coordinate drone and artillery strikes in the northern corridor.
Speaker 1:What about Donetsk? We're hearing, multiple settlements were liberated and heavy fighting continues there.
Speaker 2:Yes, donetsk remains one of the most active and strategically significant fronts. The West Group led the liberation of Novo-Mikhailovka, which was a linchpin in Ukraine's layered defense around the central Donetsk basin. The enemy committed six brigades there, mechanized ranger assault, plus National Guard and territorial formations. We estimate their weekly losses in that zone exceeded 1,500 personnel, along with key equipment like tanks, mraps and counter-battery radars. Then the Southern Group executed a sweeping series of maneuvers, liberating Shevchenko, sukhaya, baka and Tarasovka. That momentum came from sustained pressure on Ukrainian lines from Kramatorsk to Chesav Yar. We eliminated more than 2,000 enemy fighters this week alone in the south, along with HIMARS units, ew systems and over 30 armored vehicles.
Speaker 1:Bogdanovka also came under your control this week. Can you talk about what happened there?
Speaker 2:Yes, the center group led operations to liberate Bogdanovka, a critical node sitting astride several Ukrainian resupply routes. The fighting there was intense due to the diversity of units. Ukraine had committed heavy mechanized brigades, airmobile elements, two marine brigades and a full unmanned systems brigade. We combined air-ground coordination with direct action from mobile infantry to dislodge them. In the process, we inflicted over 2,300 personnel losses and eliminated high-value NATO-provided assets German mortar IFVs, french VABs and USM-113s. Our goal there wasn't just territorial control, it was the dismantling of Ukraine's forward logistics and drone reconnaissance platforms in that region. We achieved that.
Speaker 1:Let's not forget the East and the DnEPR sectors. What's the update from there?
Speaker 2:In the east, our forces continued deliberate advances into Ukrainian defensive depth. We engaged multiple brigades, ranger, airmobile, airborne and pushed through in locations like Bogota and Zelenoy Pole. We estimate losses at roughly 990 Ukrainian troops, with major degradation of their artillery and EW coverage. The Dnieper Group held firm in the south, achieving favorable positioning in both Zaporizhia and Kursan regions. Coastal defense units and artillery brigades were neutralized. Ukrainian losses were over 500 in this sector, with the destruction of Turkish-made Kerpi armored vehicles, dozens of soft-skinned vehicles, ew systems and ammunition stockpiles. What we're seeing is a thinning out of Ukrainian capacity across wide geographic spans. That's what sustained pressure does. It forces dispersion, and that dispersion leads to vulnerability.
Speaker 1:And how did Russian air defenses perform over the past week?
Speaker 2:And how did Russian air defenses perform over the past week Exceptionally well. Our air defense systems intercepted 31 JDAM smart bombs, 12 HIMARS rockets, 4 Czech Vampire MLRS projectiles and nearly 1,000 UAVs 993 to be exact. That number tells you two things First, the scale of Ukraine's reliance on drone warfare and second, the effectiveness of our layered defense doctrine. We've reached a point where not only are we intercepting these systems at scale, but we're doing it with such consistency that Ukrainian UAV penetration rates have declined significantly. Our intercept networks are denying them both aerial strike capability and battlefield surveillance coverage.
Speaker 1:Final question, Colonel what's your assessment of the Kursk direction after this week?
Speaker 2:The Kursk direction remains a high-threat, high-priority theater. It is both a front line and a flank. Over the week we dealt with formations from two airborne brigades and a territorial defense unit. Beyond direct engagement, we also hit drone control centers and radar systems in Sumy Oblast which support incursions across the border. The numbers speak volumes over 160 enemy personnel killed in the last 24 hours three self-propelled guns, an MLRS launcher, 13 drone control stations and multiple mortars and radar systems eliminated. Since the beginning of this axis, ukrainian losses have exceeded 75,000 personnel. Our dominance in Kursk denies the enemy a stable northern front and ensures their resources remain stretched thin. Enemy a stable northern front and ensures their resources remain stretched thin.
Speaker 1:Colonel, thank you for providing such a detailed briefing on the current military situation. Your insights are invaluable to our understanding of the conflict's dynamics. And thank you to our listeners for tuning in. Join us next time as we continue to provide up-to-date coverage on global military affairs. Stay with us for more updates and expert analyses on global defense and security issues. Stay informed, stay secure.
