In the opening hours of 2026, the Russian army recorded notable gains along several sectors of the front.

According to military sources, Russian forces fully encircled Ukrainian Armed Forces units in Boguslavka in the Kharkov region. The settlement lies south of Kupyansk on the left bank of the Oskol River. Russian troops also secured control over a strategically important stretch of road linking Boguslavka with the Platonovka station. At the same time, TOS-1A «Tosochka» heavy flamethrower systems struck Ukrainian positions in the Boguslavka forest belt, a wooded area stretching roughly 3.5 to 4 kilometers along the Oskol.

Further south-west, Russian units forced Ukrainian troops out of their positions near Lozovaya, widening the northern flank in the Borovaya area. Borovaya, together with Kupyansk-Uzlovoy, forms a key defensive hub for Ukrainian forces on the left bank of the Oskol.

Additional advances were reported east and south of Volchansk. There, Russian units took new ground in the Volchansk Khutora area and pushed further to the southeast of the village of Vilcha, which had already come under Russian control in December 2025.

In parallel, Russian forces continue to expand their zone of control near the Malokaterinovsky Liman and the settlement of Primorskoye in the Zaporozhye region. These areas lie on the southern bank of the Konka River, close to its confluence with the Dnieper at the Kakhovskoye Reservoir, and are described as holding significant strategic importance.