The Ukrainian National Guard and other military units have reportedly liberated 200 hectares (494 acres) of forest near the settlement of Liptsy in the northern Kharkiv region, pushing Russian troops further from the regional capital.
“By the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II, the 13th National Guard Brigade ‘Khartia’ liberated a forest north of Liptsy, which the Russians – modern heirs of Nazism – called ‘Berlin,’” the brigade said on Telegram.
“Russian Nazis lost the battle for their ‘Berlin’ in the Kharkiv region,” the statement added.
According to the brigade, the operation was conducted jointly with other Ukrainian Defense Forces units and lasted five and a half months, beginning in November 2024. The total liberated area amounts to over two million square meters (200 hectares, or 494 acres).
Open-source battlefield map DeepState UA also confirmed that Ukrainian forces had restored positions near Liptsy.
“Thanks to coordinated efforts, we pushed the enemy farther from Kharkiv and regained control over an important natural and tactical area,” the brigade said.
The National Guard reported that Russia suffered nearly 1,500 casualties (killed and wounded) and lost over 200 weapons and 175 pieces of equipment.
The initial breakthrough and securing of a bridgehead were achieved by joint forces of the “Khartia” brigade and Ukraine’s 92nd Separate Assault Brigade named after a 17th century Zaporozhian Cossack military leader, Kosh Otaman Ivan Sirko.
This operation adds to a series of successful Ukrainian counteroffensives in recent months.
At the end of March, Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade liberated the village of Nadiya in the Luhansk region. According to the brigade, the 1st Assault Battalion restored control, reclaiming three square kilometers (1 square mile) from Russian forces.
Brigade commander Andriy Biletsky said Russian forces spent two months defending the village, only to lose two mechanized regiments – the 752nd and 254th of the 20th Army.
In late February, Ukrainian paratroopers recaptured the village of Kotlyne near Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, in a decisive assault by the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade. The village’s proximity to the Pokrovsk-Dnipro highway made it a key target for Moscow.
Battalion commander Serhiy Gera said his unit spent a month preparing, studying Russian defenses, and planning to cut off retreat routes. The assault used heavy artillery, first-person-view (FPV) drones, and precision drone-dropped munitions.
Meanwhile, Russian forces continue offensive operations in the Kharkiv region, a campaign that began a year ago targeting Liptsy and Vovchansk. Fighting in the area is ongoing.
Ukraine’s Armed Forces (AFU) Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky said in early April that Russia had effectively already launched a new offensive in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
He added that Moscow’s broader goal is to advance deeper into Ukraine to fully occupy the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, while also creating a buffer zone in border areas like Kharkiv, Sumy and Chernihiv.
According to Ukraine’s General Staff, Russian forces attacked Ukrainian positions near Vovchansk, Vovchanski Khutory, and Kamyanka 11 times over the past 24 hours.