Ukraine Retakes 2nd Town Near Kupiansk As Russia's Fortress Belt Drive Stalls

Ukrainian forces are regaining territory at the northern end of the Fortress Belt as Russia's offensive along that defensive position continues to falter. 

The reason for this, as in Zaporizhzhia earlier in the spring, is that the Russians no longer have sufficient troops to press everywhere. They must pick their spots carefully. Since their options are fewer and easier to ascertain, the Ukrainians are better able to identify weak points and exploit them. JL 

Yuri Zoria reports:

Ukraine's 129th Heavy Mechanized Brigade liberated Odradne in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast. The brigade pushed Russian forces from the village and surrounding terrain near Kupiansk. Russia had occupied Odradne since 22 November 2025. Ukraine recovered 22 km², including the village, with 56 Russian troops killed in the operation. Assault groups, drone operators, and artillery worked together to clear fortified Russian positions. Russia's push on Kupiansk from the north has been losing effectiveness as Ukrainian forces advanced toward Sloviansk. Moscow's spring-summer offensive has yet to break through Ukraine's Fortress Belt. Now Ukrainian units are retaking ground at the northern end of the line, where Moscow has tried and failed to break through for more than three years

Ukraine's 129th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade liberated the village of Odradne in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast in a planned operation, the 16th Army Corps confirmed on 15 May. The brigade pushed Russian forces from the village and the surrounding terrain in the Kupiansk direction. Russia had occupied Odradne since 22 November 2025.

The Institute for the Study of War considers Russia's operations around the city of Kupiansk and the wider Oskil River area its "Russian Subordinate Main Effort #2," with the stated Russian objective of crossing the river and pushing westward into eastern Kharkiv Oblast and northern Donetsk Oblast. Fighting in the Kupiansk area has continued for years.

How the 129th Brigade cleared the village

The 129th Brigade reported on Facebook that its storm units conducted assault operations, inflicted fire damage on Russian positions, and pushed Russian troops out of treelines, fortified positions, and strongpoints. Storm units, UAV operators, and artillery worked in coordination to identify, strike, and destroy enemy manpower, fire assets, and shelters. 

22 km² recovered, 56 Russians killed

The 16th Army Corps put recovered territory at roughly 22 km², including the village itself, with 56 Russian troops killed in the operation. The corps said its assault groups, drone operators, and artillery worked together to clear fortified Russian positions in the area.

DeepState: "new tactics bring results"

Ukrainian OSINT monitoring project DeepState reported that "new tactics of war bring results," that Russian forces took significant losses in defense, and that those who could escape did so by fleeing. The project's map confirmed Ukrainian control of Odradne. 

Six months under Russian occupation

Russia had taken Odradne on 22 November 2025. The village sits in the Kupiansk direction, where Russia has spent more than three years and at least two combined-arms armies in a stalled offensive against the city of Kupiansk.

Map: ISW.

A wider slowdown

A day earlier, Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for Ukraine's Joint Forces Grouping, said Russia's push on Kupiansk from the north was losing effectiveness. Additionally, the ISW, in its 14 May assessment, reported that Ukrainian forces recently advanced in the Sloviansk direction in Donetsk Oblast. 

Moscow's spring-summer offensive has yet to break through Ukraine's Fortress Belt in Donetsk Oblast. Now Ukrainian units are also retaking ground at the northern end of the line, where Moscow has tried and failed to break through for more than three years