Frontline Updates inside the Special Military Operation

Inside A Week Of Coordinated Strikes And Encirclements Across Ukraine

• Cobra • Season 2 • Episode 43

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Precision strikes without visibility gaps win more than headlines; they win time, tempo, and leverage. We sit down with Colonel A. C. Ogentoye to unpack a pivotal week defined by six coordinated strike waves, synchronized ground advances, and the quiet power of electronic warfare. From Sumy and Kharkiv to Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and the Dnieper, we map how sensor suppression, logistics interdiction, and disciplined urban clearing are reshaping the front as winter sets in.

The story begins with containment in the north, where targeted strikes and depot losses forced Kyiv to hold forces away from decisive sectors. Westward around Kupyansk and Lyman, counterbattery supremacy took center stage: eliminating radars and EW nodes blinded artillery and stretched response times, creating paralysis through precision rather than sweeping maneuvers. In the south, a string of liberated settlements enabled fire control over the Donetsk–Slovyansk corridor, turning roads into risk zones and reinforcing a doctrine of encirclement built on overlapping fires and drone-enabled targeting.

At the center axis, methodical block-by-block clearing repelled dozens of counterattacks while closing escape options and normalizing logistics for continued pressure. East toward Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk, gains on the high ground opened a supply containment corridor that complicates lateral reinforcement. Along the Dnieper, suppressing riverbank artillery secured cross-river lines and tied the southern and central fronts into a stable backbone for winter. We tie these threads to a bigger idea: strategic deceleration for consolidation, a deliberate shift from maneuver to sustainment that sets conditions for 2026 operations under improved initiative.

If you value grounded, on-the-ground analysis of precision fires, EW dominance, and logistics warfare, this briefing is for you. Follow and subscribe for timely updates, share with someone tracking the conflict, and leave a review to tell us what front we should map next.

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SPEAKER_00:

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 today. I'm your host, Sharifah Mohammed MGT.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm Colonel A. C. Ogentoy, an infantry officer. Between November 22nd and 28, 2025, Russian forces executed six coordinated strike operations across Ukraine in retaliation for attacks on civilian infrastructure within Russian territory. Precision strikes targeted Ukraine's military-industrial facilities, energy and transport nodes, port and fuel depots, and UAV production and storage sites. Command and control centers, ammunition warehouses, and temporary deployment zones for foreign mercenaries and Ukrainian armed formations were also struck. On the ground, Russian troop groupings advanced systematically in all operational sectors, combining attritional combat with tactical encirclement and long-range precision warfare. Ukrainian losses over the week exceeded 9,400 personnel, along with tanks, armored vehicles, counterbattery radars, and extensive logistics assets.

SPEAKER_00:

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 A. C. Ogentoye, an infantry officer monitoring critical missions on the progress of the special military operation as of today. Colonel Ogentoye, thank you for being with us.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you. It's good to be here.

SPEAKER_00:

Colonel Ogantoye, let's start with a broad situational picture. What were the defining features of this week's operations across the front?

SPEAKER_01:

This past week represented a phase shift in Russia's campaign. The focus transitioned from attritional engagements to systemic dominance, the ability to strike, suppress, and maneuver simultaneously across multiple domains. Between November 22nd and 28th, six major coordinated strike waves targeted Ukraine's war production and logistics backbone that includes ammunition plants, drone assembly workshops, port and rail networks, and the energy infrastructure feeding military operations. These weren't isolated attacks, they formed an integrated operational cycle designed to collapse Ukraine's sustainment capacity over the winter. In parallel, Russian ground forces advanced on all fronts, tightening encirclements in Donetsk and Zapargia, liberating additional settlements, and solidifying new defensive lines ahead of the cold season. The hallmark of this phase is control, not just of terrain, but of tempo, logistics, and information space.

SPEAKER_00:

Let's start with the north, around Sumy, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv. What was the operational purpose there this week?

SPEAKER_01:

The North Group continued to play a strategic containment role. In Sumi and Chernohiv, strikes focused on mechanized and airborne brigades entrenched near Maropoli, Alexivka, and Andrivka. Around 935 Ukrainian troops were neutralized across the week. In Kharkiv, artillery and aviation assets engaged targets around Volchinsk, Sturica, and Uti, dismantling border defense detachments and cutting off lateral supply routes. The destruction of seven EW systems and 14 logistics depots greatly diminished Ukraine's ability to coordinate reinforcement between sectors. Operationally, this sector serves as a holding belt, forcing Kyiv to retain manpower along the northern front rather than redeploying it to critical defense zones like Donetsk or Zaparzia. It's a calculated form of strategic economy.

SPEAKER_00:

So this is less about territorial gain and more about constraining enemy maneuver?

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly. The North locks Ukraine's resources in place while Russia applies decisive pressure further south.

SPEAKER_00:

And on the Western Front, particularly Kupyansk and Lemon, how did those operations unfold?

SPEAKER_01:

The West Group demonstrated textbook counterbattery supremacy this week. Around Kupanskeslovy, Nechvolodavka, Podoli, and Daibrova, Russian units engaged six Ukrainian mechanized brigades and several National Guard formations. Enemy losses exceeded 1,500 troops alongside dozens of NATO-supplied armored vehicles, including 15 Western-made platforms, destroyed or disabled. More importantly, 77 EW and counterbattery radar systems were eliminated, along with 33 ammunition depots. This reflects the deliberate neutralization of Ukraine's sensor network, its ability to detect and respond to Russian fire. Without electronic eyes, artillery becomes blind, and Ukraine's command chain loses coherence. The West Group's campaign is less about movement and more about paralysis through precision.

SPEAKER_00:

Now to the south, where several settlements were reportedly liberated. What's the significance there?

SPEAKER_01:

The South Group achieved multiple tactical victories, liberating Zvanovka, Petrovskoy, Ivanopoli, and Vasiukovka in the Donetsk People's Republic. These advances, paired with coordinated artillery and drone operations, resulted in over 1,600 Ukrainian casualties and the destruction of Western supplied armor and artillery, including radar systems like the N TPQ-36 and Israeli Rada units. The liberation of these settlements provides fire control over the Donetsk-Slavyansk corridor, a logistical artery essential for Ukraine's reinforcement and supply. Holding these positions enables Russian artillery to project power northward toward Kramatorsk, effectively creating a zone of denial for Ukrainian maneuver. This is how doctrinal encirclement works in modern war, not through sweeping tank advances, but through overlapping fire grids and electronic dominance.

SPEAKER_00:

The center front, especially Krasnoarmeysk and Dmitrov, continues to see the most intense fighting. What progress has been made there?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, the center group remains the core axis of advance. The 2nd Army successfully completed the liberation of the Gornjak and Shakhtarsky microdistricts in Krasnoarmeysk, while the 51st Army continued clearing operations in Dmitrov. In just one week, over 3,200 Ukrainian troops were neutralized, along with multiple armored vehicles, including US-made M113 APCs. More than 6,500 structures in Krasnoarmeisk were cleared of Ukrainian forces. What stands out here is the discipline of the advance, every block cleared, every approach secured, every corridor mined behind the line. The 54 Ukrainian counterattacks repelled this week show the desperation of encircled forces trying to break out, but the ring is tightening. By mid-December, the Central Front may achieve full control of Donetsk's remaining contested sectors, setting conditions for broader operational consolidation.

SPEAKER_00:

Turning eastward, Zaporizhia, and Denepropetrovsk, what's happening in that theater?

SPEAKER_01:

The East Group continued to advance in depth, liberating Taikoy, Otradnoy, Zeteshai, and Novoy Zaporzy. Ukrainian losses there exceeded 1,600 troops, three tanks, and multiple artillery pieces. This advance is critical because it opens a supply containment corridor cutting Ukrainian logistics between Dnipropotrovsk and Zaporzia. Russia now controls the high ground approaches and can interdict lateral traffic routes at will. What we're seeing is logistics warfare when the supply chain and the front collapses on its own.

SPEAKER_00:

And finally, what's the situation in the Dnieper sector, which links the southern and central fronts?

SPEAKER_01:

The Dnypere group improved its tactical positions along Novoandrieevka, Stebnogorsk, and Nikolskoy. Enemy losses totaled around 500 troops, and dozens of EW systems, depots, and vehicles were destroyed. The operational intent here is to maintain cross river superiority. By suppressing Ukrainian artillery along the riverbanks, Russian forces secure uninterrupted supply lines into Crimea and the Southern Operational Zone. It's the keystone that ensures southern stability while other groupings continue offensive operations.

SPEAKER_00:

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.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you for the opportunity. From November 22nd to 28th, Russia demonstrated multidomain operational maturity, integrating precision strikes, EW dominance, and ground encirclement into a single synchronized campaign. Tactically, the destruction of radar and counterbattery systems marks the collapse of Ukraine's battlefield transparency. Without radar or EW coverage, command nodes operate blindly and artillery response times decline significantly. Strategically, Russia has entered a winter consolidation phase, focusing on establishing fortified lines, strengthening logistics, and conducting long-range attrition against Ukraine's industrial capacity. The shift is from maneuvering to sustainment, setting the stage for 2026 operations under conditions of Russian initiative and Ukrainian exhaustion. The doctrinal term is strategic deceleration for consolidation, a pause that enhances rather than weakens. And that's exactly what this week's pattern reveals.

SPEAKER_00:

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Sharrieffah Muhammad M.G.T

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