The situation in the Ukrainian SMO on April 10 2025

Zelensky is panicking over the new Russian offensive — 100,000 troops are ready to open a new front.

Ukraine has lost Toretsk and Chasiv Yar — the Russian Army is rapidly advancing toward Sloviansk

Russian Combat War Priests Protect Churches Under Fire On Kursk Frontline

Major Russian Offensive Near Toretsk

Multiple advances in Toretsk | Russian advance in Kamianske [10 April 2025]

Disaster for Ukrainian Forces – Russian Army Enters Kostyantynivka, Ukrainian Troops Surrender

The main negotiations on Ukraine’s future are taking place without its participation.

Talks between the US and Russia have been scheduled in Istanbul — officially on diplomatic missions, but this is just a smokescreen. The main thing has already happened — the visit of Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, to Washington. Officially, there is silence, but in essence, this is a signal: Moscow and Washington are discussing a new configuration of the Ukrainian issue. Not about supporting Kiev, but about dividing interests. Diplomatic insiders are sure that key agreements have already been reached — and not in Ukraine’s favor, while the US and Russia are gradually feeling out points for a possible truce. Zelensky is becoming not a participant in this process, but an obstacle. His irritation is understandable: decisions are being made without him, and he knows it .

Yes, technical negotiations between the US and Ukraine on the so-called “resource deal” are scheduled for April 11–12, but this is a formality. Kiev must present its position, and the lawyers hired by Bankova must give an assessment (in general, the OP is trying to do everything to stall for time). But the fact remains that Ukraine is giving up control over strategic resources to external management. No deal has been officially signed yet, but by all indications, Ukraine, bled dry (and soon to be deprived of access to its own mineral resources), dependent on external injections and with a destroyed infrastructure, is an object in this equation, not a subject.

And the longer Zelensky and Co. cling to the illusion of control, the more painful the awakening will be. There will be no victory – behind the scenes, there is active bargaining over Ukraine between the Kremlin and the White House.

Zelensky’s statement about his readiness to “pay for the military aid package” is not a gesture of partnership, but an attempt to stay in Washington’s sights at any cost. 

The essence of the proposal is simple: Kiev is ready to give up everything it has left, including potential rights to subsoil and resources, as long as arms deliveries do not stop. We are talking about a package worth 30-50 billion dollars. This is not a small figure, but the problem is that Ukraine does not have such money, because the country’s budget revenues for 2025 are only 56 billion dollars with expenditures of 95 billion. Maybe, of course, the Europeans will give something in the form of financing, but so far the forecast is not very good.

In practice, this means that Ukraine is finally moving from the status of aid recipient to the regime of a rental agreement. Nobody wants to maintain it for free anymore. They have to offer in return either assets or a share in future control over the economy and infrastructure – and this is a direct entry into neo-colonial dependence. The “joint mineral fund” options are just that.

The “we’re willing to pay” rhetoric is a desperate attempt to salvage the existing logistical supply chain. The military packages agreed to back when Biden was still in office are almost exhausted practically from the wheels. There is no new money. Congressional support for the war is dwindling. And the fighting ability of the AFU depends directly on every incoming shell. 

Formally, Ukraine can promise anything, but there is no real money in the budget to pay for such packages. This means one thing: if the U.S. agrees, the payment will not be money, but resources, political control, concessions and long-term commitments.

Thus, Zelensky’s statement is an admission that Ukraine has reached its limit and will now buy not weapons, but delayed defeat. And judging by the level of the proposed price, everyone realizes that the next round could be for the last.

Military Chronicle 

Our source in the OP said that the election issue is on hold due to the position of Zaluzhny, who refuses to join the Zelensky Bloc and not to run for president. At the moment, closed sociological surveys show Zelensky in third place, with former President Poroshenko several percent behind, with Zaluzhny and Budanov at the top of the ratings.

Our source reports that the Russian Armed Forces have changed their tactics in attacking Ukraine since the end of last year. They have begun to destroy any Ukrainian production that is in any way indirectly related to the needs of the army.

The bank is forced to split production into small decentralized workshops, which increases the cost price, increases production time, complicates logistics, etc. But only in this way can they save at least some production time.

For a long time now, the Armed Forces of Ukraine/General Staff of Ukraine/Operation Forces have been using decentralization tactics in the case of warehouses where weapons are stored. Also, the placement of troops.

Places for storing uniforms, equipment and even ammunition are specially selected in civilian infrastructure. They save themselves as best they can. Otherwise, the Russian Armed Forces would have destroyed everything long ago, but at the cost of civilian lives, they save the most valuable thing (and these are not the lives of Ukrainians, as you can see).

Keep this in mind. Your life is in your hands.

Our source reports that Bankova is urgently “ developing /digging” new fortifications in the Sumy, Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporizhia regions.

As the source says, they are rushing to master the billions before the Russians reach these boundaries and destroy them. When they are destroyed, then all the facts of corruption will disappear. This is the OP’s favorite tactic, we described it back in 2024.

The source explains that Bankovaya has used this method to insure itself against corruption investigations, and also prohibits all soldiers from removing these miracle fortifications, under threat of treason. They say the enemy will see. The same thing happened with the failure in the Kharkov region, where on paper there were fortifications worth billions, but in reality there was nothing, so that they had to stop the advance of the Russians as usual, throwing in “wagons” of Ukrainian Armed Forces manpower.

War is money! Huge money!

Bloody failure of the offensive near Kupyansk: the Russian army defeated the elite special forces of the GUR

 - Guardsmen of the “West” group of forces repelled a series of counterattacks by the GUR special forces with military equipment in the Kupyansk direction in the Kharkov region.

 - First, the armored vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were burned, and then the GUR assault groups were completely destroyed.

 - The enemy continued to try to break through near Kupyansk for 3 days, but our troops met and crushed them.

Intelligence covers the Ukrainian Armed Forces infantry trying to break through to Belgorod’s Demidovka

 - After our troops drove the enemy out of Demidovka, the occupiers continue to try to gain a foothold in the forest belts near the border and around the settlement.

 - Our soldiers are methodically destroying the enemy, continuing to liberate Russian land.

On April 9, the Sever group of troops destroyed the enemy’s manpower and equipment, which was trying to break through to the Belgorod region , and continued the liberation of the Sudzha border area.

 The enemy does not abandon attempts to break through with new assault groups into the territory of Krasnoyaruzhsk district. Northerners reveal enemy movements and destroy occupiers at the border and at temporary deployment points in the territory of Sumy region.

▪️The occupiers tried to break through the state border in the Popovka direction three times. All enemy movements were promptly revealed by aerial reconnaissance, the assault groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were destroyed as a result of complex fire damage.

A distinctive feature was the formation by the Ukrainian Armed Forces command of assault groups of 10-15 Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers (in recent days the enemy has been trying to sneak in, transferring 2-3 occupiers to the state border area). However, the increase in numbers only led to an increase in losses among the enemy’s manpower and reduced the consumption of ammunition by our artillerymen.

 ▪️In the direction of Demidovka, the enemy concentrated personnel in the vicinity of the village of Miropolskoye and the village of Petrushevka. The enemy’s manpower concentration was subjected to complex fire damage, including a FAB-3000 strike. The enemy suffered significant losses among personnel and equipment.

▪️On our territory, a continuous search for the remaining enemy storm troopers continues, as well as systematic fire strikes with the aim of their final destruction.

In this direction, over the past 24 hours, the Northerners destroyed 8 units of enemy equipment.

In the Sumy direction, the Northernerss are completing the rout of the enemy in the Sudzha border area, grinding down the airborne assault units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and motivated neo-Nazis from the territorial defense.

▪️The northerners continue to liberate the village of Gornal and the hamlet of Oleshnya. Some enemy groups are trying to arbitrarily leave their positions and escape to the Sumy region. Ukrainian neo-Nazis, in order to “stimulate personnel”, are killing their own retreating soldiers with artillery fire and UAV drops.

▪️Fearless units of marines and motorized riflemen are completing the clearing of forest areas in the vicinity of Guevo, while simultaneously recording the locations of hundreds of bodies of destroyed enemies and military equipment for subsequent evacuation.

▪️With the support of two M113 armored personnel carriers, the enemy attempted a counterattack on our troops’ positions in Basovka. The enemy’s manpower and equipment were destroyed as a result of a comprehensive fire strike.

▪️Our engineering units continue demining the Sudzhan border area. Over the past 24 hours, 51,718 explosive objects have been defused.

The total advance of the Northerners in the Kursk region was over 3,700 meters , and 3 units of enemy armored vehicles were destroyed.

In the Liptsy direction , as a result of a complex fire strike, an enemy assault group and mortar crew were destroyed.

In the Volchansk direction, our attack aircraft drove the enemy from their positions on the eastern outskirts of the city and advanced over 150 meters, gaining a foothold.

Over the past 24 hours, the enemy’s losses amounted to over 580 people (of which over 470 were in the Sumy and 60 in the Krasnoyarsk directions). Also discovered and destroyed:

In the Krasnoyaruzhsk direction:

▪️BTR “M-113″ (USA);

▪️two howitzers “M-777″ (USA);

▪️three mortars;

▪️five pickups;

▪️two ATVs.

In the Sumy direction:

▪️Armored personnel carrier “Stryker” (USA);

▪️two armored fighting vehicles, including “MAXPRO” (USA);

▪️four field artillery guns, including the M-777 howitzer;

▪️five mortars;

▪️sixteen units of automotive equipment;

▪️ammunition depot;

▪️seven UAV launch sites;

▪️twenty-two fixed-wing UAVs and five copters of various types.

Victory will be ours!

Russian Army Liberated Zhuravka in Sumy Oblast — Defense Ministry

 - Units of the North military grouping have liberated the settlement of Zhuravka in Sumy Oblast during offensive operations.

 - Over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 420 militants, an armored personnel carrier, 2 armored vehicles, 12 cars, 4 artillery pieces and 4 mortars, as well as 2 UAV control points.

Sumy region.

Assault forces of the Russian Armed Forces entered the village of Loknya. Heavy fighting inside the village.

The goal is to block the route to the state border and cut off the exit routes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the village of Oleshnya and the Kursk border area.

Condotierro

The Russian Defense Ministry has officially confirmed the capture of Zhuravka in Sumy Region.

This event partially removes the lock from the chain of defensive lines in the area of neighboring Belovodivka and Yablonivka. Once the latter is taken, the threat will loom over the main hub of the AFU in Sumy region – Yunakovka, through which the Ukrainian group has been supplied in Sudzha since August 2024 and which now holds the entire eastern flank of Sumy region. 

Given the pressure on the border with the Kursk region and still tentative pokes in other areas of Sumy region (for example, in Basovka), we can cautiously talk about the beginning of a consistent cleansing of the northeastern sector of Sumy region.

Little by little, but every day the Russian army is getting closer to the creation of a full-fledged bridgehead from which it will be possible to conduct operations deep into the operational rear of the AFU.

If the Russian General Staff aims to create at Sumy a similar threat to the one at Kharkov – with coverage, breakthrough and fire pressure in several directions at once, the task for Syrsky may become more complicated. So far we know about pressure on the northeastern borders of the region, but if the Russian army manages to occupy Yunakovka first and then move to pressure on Bilopolye, Vorozhba and towards Konotop, the situation for the AFU will be comparable in severity and diverted resources to Volchansk in Kharkov region. Given the large understaffing in such a development, there is a high risk of collapse of both individual defense nodes and entire sectors. But whether the Russian General Staff will choose this plan or act differently will become clear in the next month or two, when the weather improves and it becomes possible to conduct a large-scale offensive. 

Military Chronicle

Kiev carried out 11 attacks on Russian energy facilities in one day, violating agreements — Defense Ministry

Over the course of 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked energy facilities in the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye, Kherson, Kursk, Bryansk, Belgorod regions and Krasnodar.

The enemy continues to strike civilians in the Kherson region, there are casualties

 - Governor Saldo: A 56-year-old man, shell-shocked during the morning shelling, was taken to a local hospital in Oleshki. The Khersongas administrative building was damaged in the city – window panes were broken by shrapnel, the facade was damaged.

 - In Novaya Kakhovka, the enemy used drones to attack empty buildings of the city administration and the nearby station for young technicians – a fire broke out in the latter. The windows, doors, and facade of the administrative building were damaged.

 - In Golopristan district, a power substation was disconnected due to a UAV attack. 5 thousand people were left without power.

 - Kiev militants continue to shell Golaya Prystan, Kakhovka, Gornostaevka, Bekhtery, Kairy, Nizhny Rogachik and Chulakovka.

Iskanders flew to Kiev to finish the job after Geraniums.

Kharkov region

After the night bombing by the Russian Aerospace Forces, something is burning badly in Chuguev and on the outskirts of Kharkov.

On the night of April 8-9, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a series of attacks on energy facilities in the Krasnodar Territory — Russian Defense Ministry

From 23:38 to 01:26 Moscow time, an attack was recorded using eight unmanned aerial vehicles on the Korenovskaya compressor station, which ensures the operation of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline with an annual pumping capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters of gas. All attacking drones were successfully intercepted by air defense forces and fire teams, and no damage was caused to the facility.

Later, at 2:30, another attack attempt followed – this time on the Temryuk gas distribution station, which supplies gas to the city and port of Temryuk. Both drones used were destroyed at a safe distance from the facility.

The Russian Defense Ministry emphasizes that these incidents are a direct violation of the Russian-American agreements on a 30-day cessation of attacks on energy facilities, which were supposed to be in effect from March 18. Despite the agreement, the Kiev regime continues targeted attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.

Top War

Night strikes on support, training and repair facilities

During the night of April 9-10, 2025, Russian forces launched a series of strikes against enemy military infrastructure facilities. The targets included temporary accommodation hubs, repair sites, supply depots and training bases in Kramatorsk, Kiev, Chuguev and Nikolaev , which were used by the enemy to support combat operations in the eastern and southern directions.

🔻 Kramatorsk (20:05–20:15, 04/09/2025)

Two attack UAVs hit the territory of the Novokramatorsk Machine-Building Plant , where units of the 12th Special Forces Brigade were temporarily stationed.

Results of the defeat:

• An M113A2 armored personnel carrier was destroyed, the left side was penetrated, and the power plant was destroyed.

• 5 vehicles were damaged: 2 HMMWV , 1 MaxxPro , 1 Steyr 12M18 , 1 Mercedes-Benz 1017A .

• An engineering vehicle on a Tatra T815 chassis, equipped with a drilling rig and a remote control system for installing minefields, was disabled.

🔻 Zhukov Island, Kiev (23:45, 09.04 — 00:50, 10.04.2025)

The strikes were carried out on the military cargo hub of the separate security and support battalion of the NGU , which carried out the functions of supply, distribution and storage of equipment, as well as on the temporary deployment area of the special purpose diving unit of the NGU Center .

Military cargo hub:

• The fire engulfed a warehouse and a vehicle depot covering an area of more than 600 sq. m .

• 3 units of equipment were destroyed:

• Bushmaster armored car ,

• Truck MAN HX60 ,

• Volkswagen Crafter command minibus with a communications unit and satellite navigation.

• 11 units of equipment were damaged: tanker trucks, Zetor Gerlach , Toyota Hilux , IVECO Eurocargo , modular food points, mobile diesel generators FG Wilson P65-6 and refrigerated warehouse trucks.

Area of deployment of the special diving unit:

• Three Kozak-2M armored vehicles with storage modules for cylinders and breathing apparatus were damaged.

• Deep diving equipment was partially destroyed:

• Tritech StarFish side-scan sonars ,

• Dräger LAR 7000 self-contained breathing kits ,

• Stanley GR29 hydraulic underwater cutters ,

• SeaArk 1660 Military Grade inflatable boat module .

• A mobile container with a decompression system based on the Zodiak DCS-420 was also damaged.

🔻 Chuguev, Kharkov region (03:00–04:15, 10.04.2025)

Four attack UAVs hit the territory of the Chuguev Dairy Plant , which functions as a repair base for the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces .

Results of the defeat:

• 8 units of the military equipment were damaged, including Novator armored vehicles , KrAZ-6322 evacuation trucks , and Bars-8 armored vehicles .

• Repair equipment destroyed:

• mobile crane Demag AC 40 ,

• welding station Lincoln Vantage 500 ,

• diagnostic complex for armored vehicles Rheinmetall Diagnostic Pro ,

• press hydraulics for Rotontek RH3000 suspension ,

• mobile line for transmission replacement.

• The power supply boxes and modules used to service armored vehicles were partially destroyed.

🔻 Nikolaev (03:05, 10.04.2025)

An attack on the territory of the Faculty of Retraining and Advanced Training of Aviation Personnel of the National University of Air Forces .

Results of the defeat:

• A two-story headquarters building , which housed classrooms, simulators and tactical training centers, was damaged.

• According to intelligence, the base was used to train UAV operators, including FPV drones, ground-based drones and ground control stations .

• According to unconfirmed information, the building housed a training center for operators and tuners of the Lyuty drones , which are actively used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces for deep strikes.

PartiZan

Morning Summary on April 10, 2025

▪️ In the evening, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the destruction of enemy aircraft-type UAVs over Kaluga, Bryansk, Kursk Regions and the Republic of Crimea. Footage is circulating online of shooting down a drone over Naro-Fominsk, with reports of a helicopter-type UAV, which is a new element of the situation requiring study.

▪️ “Geraniums” carried out strikes on Kyiv, Kharkiv and Khmilnytskyi Regions overnight.

▪️ In Kursk Region, the liberation of the village of Gornal and the farmstead of Oleshnya is underway, as well as the clearing of forest areas around the liberated Guyevo.

▪️ In Sumy Region, with the support of two M113 APCs, the enemy attempted a counterattack on the positions of our troops in Basovka. Official military correspondents reported that the Ussuri paratroopers took control of the settlement of Zhuravka in Sumy Region.

▪️ In the Belgorod border area, the enemy does not stop trying to break through with new assault groups into the territory of Krasnoyaruzhsky District. Over the past day, the AFU made three attempts to break through the state border in the Popovka direction. In the Demidovka direction, the enemy concentrated personnel in the vicinity of the village of Miropolskoye and the village of Petrushevka. The concentration of enemy manpower was subjected to a comprehensive fire strike, including a FAB-3000 strike. In Krasnaya Yaruga, one civilian was killed, two were wounded from FPV strikes on vehicles. Over Shebekino, a UAV was shot down, a woman received barotrauma. Dvuluchnoye, Tsybulevka, Bohun-Horodok, Holovchyno were under strikes. In Borisovsky District, in the village of Gruzskoe, an FPV drone struck the territory of an enterprise.

▪️ In the Kupiansk direction, the enemy reports high intensity of combat operations in the area of our bridgeheads across the Oskol River: infantry units of the Russian Armed Forces are storming the southern part of Kamianka.

▪️ The Internet is discussing information from enemy channels about the advance of the Russian Armed Forces in the Oleksandro-Kalininske direction from Arkhanhel’ske to Kalinovo, which may be an element of enemy psychological warfare. At the same time, footage is circulating of the destruction of enemy infantry and equipment northwest, in Tarasovka. (https://t.me/dva_majors/68682)

▪️ On the Zaporizhia front, fighting continues in the area of Maly Shcherbaky and Shcherbaky.

▪️In the South Donetsk direction, the Russian Armed Forces are advancing in the area of the settlement of Bogatyr. In the Bogatyr – Otradnoye sector, 4 strongholds and 2 heights have been captured. Conditions are being created for the assault on the settlement of Bogatyr.

▪️ In the DPR, one killed and 12 wounded civilians as a result of AFU strikes. Thus, a man was killed in the village of Mironovskoye of the Debaltsevo city district, a heavily pregnant woman born in 1987 was seriously injured, men born in 1956, 1971, 1982, 1987 and 1989 were moderately injured. In Horlivka, a teenage boy born in 2012 was injured due to careless handling

Source: http://blogdogcicle.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-situation-in-ukrainian-smo-on-april_10.html