Weekly Russia-Ukraine war summary: Russian advance in Sumy Region, “old man with Starlink” near Chasiv Yar, record UAV raids on Russia

In the Toretsk sector, Russian sources reported the capture of Zoria and Stara Mykolaivka, which entails the elimination of the pocket between Romanivka and Oleksandropil. In addition, the Russian Armed Forces occupied Romanivka proper and advanced to the southern outskirts of Dyliivka north of Toretsk.

Finnish OSINT analyst Emil Kastehelmi of Black Bird Group argues that the Russian offensive between Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka poses multiple significant threats to Ukrainian defenses. According to Kastehelmi, Russia's operational objectives in this area for the coming months could include:

• creating a threat of encirclement for Kostiantynivka
• creating a threat of encirclement for Pokrovsk
• destabilizing urban Ukrainian supply and command posts in the combat zone

Kastehelmi notes that a dangerous salient between Kostiantynivka and Pokrovsk has already been formed, leaving Kostiantynivka the most vulnerable. Nevertheless, a large-scale breakthrough has yet to occur, and the AFU's top priority is to conduct a competent retreat and maneuver its reserves accordingly.

An investigator writing under the user name Playfra reports on the construction of a new 350-kilometer Donbas defensive line, from Kharkiv to Vilne Pole on the border of the Zaporizhzhia Region. The fundamental difference between this line and previous ones is the deliberate placement of independent fortified positions and firing points designed with consideration of terrain features. The line makes use of natural obstacles such as rivers and hills, and its construction incorporates lessons learned from drone warfare.

Ukrainian OSINT resource Oko Gora ✙ News and Analytics published a map of territorial control changes in the Ukrainian theater of operations from May 19 to May 25. The map indicates that the Russian Armed Forces occupied 188 additional square kilometers, advancing at a daily rate of 27 square kilometers. DeepState estimates this to be Russia's fastest advance of 2025. Russian independent publication Agentstvo attributes the acceleration to a spike in Russian assault operations on several fronts and the cumulative effect of the prolonged offensive.

Mutual strikes and sabotage

The AFU Air Force reported ( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ) downing 604 Shahed-type UAVs and drones of other unidentified types out of the 1,231 launched against Ukrainian territory during the week. Another 420 UAVs were radar-lost under the influence of electronic warfare tools. The Ukrainian Air Force also reported intercepting 60 of the 100 missiles launched, of various types. The Russian raid on the night of May 25 set the record for the number of air attack assets recorded: 367, including 298 drones and 69 missiles.