Thousands of Ukrainian servicemen are listed as missing following attempts to cross the Volchya River near the village of Zybino in the Volchansky district of the Kharkov region. According to Russian security sources cited by TASS, the heaviest losses in that area were reportedly suffered by the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ 159th Separate Mechanized Brigade.

The assessment, the source explained, was based on an analysis of obituaries published for Ukrainian soldiers.

The agency’s interlocutor also said that during the first half of 2025 Ukrainian command continued to send assault units to force the Volchya River. According to the source, many of the soldiers who took part in those operations were later declared missing in action. He added that thousands of Ukrainian troops could remain on the bottom of what he described as this «river of death.»

Volchansk is one of the major settlements in the Kharkov region. At the beginning of 2023, the city’s population was estimated at around 17,000 people. Ukrainian forces had turned it into a fortified area with an extensive network of underground communications and a defensive line running along the Volchya River. Industrial facilities located within the city were also used for defensive purposes.

Fighting for Volchansk began in May 2024. Its liberation was reported on December 1, 2025, when administrative buildings and key facilities in the city came under the control of the «Sever» grouping of the Russian Armed Forces.