Unit Observer

In this thread we will present the source lists for our other threads:

🧵Is the Russian ‘Vostok’ army group beginning to buckle? The latest in Tochnyi's series of 'Frontline Briefs', produced with our colleagues at @WarUnitObserver, focuses on frontline developments that might otherwise go unnoticed. 1/4

Source on the 90th Guards Tank Division's possible redeployment to Pokrovsk (and other Russian unit movements): @kriegsforscherD / @RALee85 twomarines.substack.com/p/battlefield-… Persistent systemic command issues within ZSU: militaryland.net/article/skille…

Conclusions After a relatively successful 2025 campaign that saw the 🇷🇺Vostok grouping advance west of Velyka Novosilka, it seems Russian momentum in this area is diminishing. A partial stabilization of the 🇺🇦Ukrainian manpower deficit, along with the continuing corps reform, is allowing Gen. Syrskyi and the General Staff to expand the envelope of “assault units” available and prepared for tactical counterattacks. In this example, the 🇺🇦80th Air Assault Brigade was offensively redeployed after spending a year on defense in Sumy oblast. While critical systemic issues persist in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as frequently reported by @Militarylandnet, the balance of resources (manpower, material, etc.) in several sectors of the frontline has equalized compared to 2024 and 2025. Two crucial areas in the next several months will be the Kostyantynivka and Slovyansk axes, where Russia continues to maintain overall superiority in 2026.

🇺🇦Ukraine counterattacks in the south... again Once more, only weeks after the attacks of the late winter, Ukrainian forces are conducting localized offensive actions in Dnipropetrovsk oblast. The 🇺🇦79th, 80th and 95th Air Assault Brigades began operations around mid-May under strict OPSEC measures. While Russian Telegram channels have been circulating rumors about this area since then, our team only managed to confirm the operation and the units involved at the beginning of this week. On Friday May 29th, the Ukrainian side openly acknowledged the ongoing offensive movements, mainly executed by units of the Air Assault Forces (DShV) - just as in February and March. The sector involved is approximately 20 kilometers wide, with the villages of Zelenyi Hai and Vorone as the northern and southern boundaries respectively. Keep reading ⬇️ to find out why the south-eastern sector might represent a growing vulnerability for 🇷🇺Russian forces of the “Vostok” Grouping

Sources: For image: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Russ… For most plates: #google_vignette" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">platesmania.com/newforum/index…

Sheet Link: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

Ukraine’s ongoing mid-range strike drone campaign has intensified in strength recently, primarily targeting Russian military trucks and tankers. So we thought we would publish a quick guide to identifying which military district or organization a vehicle likely belongs to based on the license plate. This guide, linked below, currently contains only commonly seen plate numbers. Feel free to comment with any unlisted numbers that have been sighted during this campaign. Note: Russian military plates are always black with white text and formatted like the attached image.

What's happening on the northern border of 🇺🇦Ukraine? We know this dilemma has likely kept you all awake at night lately, so this short thread will cover recent events in this often-forgotten part of the frontline. 🇷🇺Russian cross-border actions have particularly intensified in three areas in Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts. Russian forces are carrying out a deliberate small-scale "infiltration" campaign in these sections of the border, labeled "buffer zones" by their 🇷🇺domestic media and milbloggers.

Moving further east, past Kharkiv and Vovchansk, we reach the Velykyi Burluk direction. 🇷🇺Russian forces began crossing the border near Milove in the summer of 2025, but the frontline became static by later in the year. Subunits of the 🇷🇺69th Motor Rifle Division conducted these operations, but they might be operating under the control of the 🇷🇺68th Motor Rifle Division (deployed further south). Divisional assets of the 69th Division are engaged in Vovchansk. Recently, most of the 🇺🇦129th Heavy Mechanized Brigade was redeployed to this area following its reorganization from TDF to armored brigade: under operational control of the 🇺🇦16th Army Corps this unit conducted two counterattacks in April and May, clearing Ambarne and Odradne of Russian presence.

Shifting east, past the Sumy "bulge", is a larger infiltration area spanning all the way from Myropils’ke to Hrabovske - approximately 40 kilometers in a straight line. Initial 🇷🇺Russian movement into Hrabovske began in late December, with invading forces kidnapping and relocating all civilians that remained in the village. The contested area expanded northwards in March and April, to include Pokrovka and Novodmytrivka. The 🇺🇦Ukrainian response, coordinated by the 14th Army Corps, initially consisted of light Territorial Defence and Border Guards units. More recently, the 🇺🇦157th Mechanized Brigade and elements of the 🇺🇦120th Recon Regiment joined the fight near Pokrovka and Hrabovske respectively.

source for ukrainian 153rd Mechanized Brigade: x.com/moklasen/statu…

sources for the Russian VDV units: t.me/PoiskSoldaTRf/… vk.com/wall-119368900… t.me/mod_russia/623… t.me/motopatriot78/… vk.com/wall-119368900…

Western Zaporizhia ORBAT Despite Russian successes earlier this year in deeply infiltrating toward Veselyanka and Novoyakovlivka, Ukrainian counterattacks continue to roll back previous advances. Ukraine reinforced the line with the 🇺🇦153rd Mechanized Brigade, redeployed from Kherson to support the 🇺🇦128th Mountain Assault Brigade along the Stepove - Mali Shcherbaky axis, while the main counterattacks toward Stepnohirs'k are being conducted by an assortment of HUR special forces units (Tymur & the International Legion). Russia, meanwhile, seeking to consolidate its gains, deployed the two reserve regiments of the 🇷🇺7th Air Assault Division (387th and 1445th Regiments) alongside the 108th and 247th Air Assault Regiments. Furthermore, around the March–April timeframe, additional elements of the 🇷🇺299th Airborne Regiment (98th Airborne Division) arrived from Kherson. Despite this, elements of the 7th, 104th, and 98th VDV Divisions, as well as the 11th VDV Brigade, now operating in the area alongside various regiments of the 19th and 42nd Motor Rifle Divisions (58th Combined Arms Army), remain unable to regain significant initiative, as the battle for Stepnohirs'k enters its seventh month. x.com/WarUnitObserve…

As Khartiia continues its path from local volunteer unit to large scale fighting formation within the Ukrainian National Guard, we look forward to supporting their soldiers with valuable vans. Once again, all the fundraiser information and the donation links can be found here: libertyukraine.org/from-screens-t…

More recently, Khartiia's corps headquarters and a battlegroup from the Brigade were successfully deployed in the city of Kupyansk to stop the Russian infiltration and clear the city of occupiers. The closing months of 2025 saw intense urban battles carried out, in particular, by units of the 4th (International Battalion). In March 2026, this battalion was expanded into the Corps' 23rd Separate Assault Regiment “RUG”. Here’s our in-depth post on the clearing of Kupyansk: x.com/WarUnitObserve…

Our friends from @Ukrdailyupdate and @Tochnyi just launched a huge fundraiser to provide vans for the 🇺🇦National Guard’s 13th Khartiia Brigade! In this thread we will briefly tell Khartiia's story and describe what sets it apart from other Ukrainian formations. Fundraiser link in the next post!⬇️