ISW maps: AFU advanced in the area of Kreminna and Novomykhailivka

At the frontline, the Ukrainian Defence Forces are advancing south of Kreminna and southwest of occupied Donetsk, where the Armed Forces have regained their positions. At the same time, the Russian invaders continue to exert pressure near Chasiv Yar and in the Avdiivka sector.

East of Ukraine. Operation No. 1 – Luhansk region

Ukrainian Defence Forces confirmed progress south of Kremennaya as of 14 April. Geolocation footage published on April 14 shows that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were advancing east of Belogorovka (south of Kremennaya), although this advance was likely not recent, the publication said.

The Russian “military correspondent” claimed that Russian troops had recently advanced slightly to the eastern outskirts of Ternov (west of Kremennaya), although ISW did not find visual confirmation of this claim.

On April 14, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, thanked the Ukrainian pilots for carrying out a successful strike on an unnamed Russian military facility in the occupied part of the Luhansk region on April 13. Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Major Illya Yevlash said the pilots struck a Russian control post in the area with Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles, and noted that Ukraine needs additional long-range missiles to carry out similar attacks on Russian military infrastructure in the occupied part of Ukraine. Before that, on April 13, Russian sources said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a Storm Shadow attack on a machine-building plant in occupied Lugansk.

Operation No. 2 – Donetsk region

On 14 April, positional hostilities continued north-east of Bakhmut. Positional hostilities continued to the east of Siverske in the area of Verkhnekamianske; to the southeast of Siverske near Vyymka, Spirne, Vesele; and to the south of Siverske near Rozdolivka.

On 14 April, Russian troops confirmed their advance to the east of Chasiv Yar and continued their offensive in the area. Geolocation footage released on 14 April shows that the occupiers advanced northeast of the Kanal neighbourhood (eastern part of Chasiv Yar) and along a storm drain southeast of the settlement.

The Russian "military commander" claimed that Russian troops had allegedly advanced north of Ivanove, although ISW analysts found no visual evidence of this claim.

Fighting continued near the Novy microdistrict, southeast of Chasiv Yar; northeast of Chasiv Yar near Bohdanivka; southeast of Chasiv Yar near Klishchiyivka, Andriivka, Opytne; and south of Chasiv Yar near New York. The spokesperson for the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Khortytsia group, Lieutenant Colonel Nazar Voloshyn, said that Russian troops were storming Chasiv Yar and the surrounding area in small assault groups "almost 24 hours a day", and that the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions were the most active frontline areas in eastern Ukraine.

Russian troops recently made a confirmed advance west of Avdiivka as they continued their offensive operations in the area on 14 April. Geo-location footage released on 14 April shows that the invaders have recently advanced east of Novobakhmutivka (northwest of Avdiivka).

Russian ’military officials’ claimed that Russian troops had allegedly advanced towards Yasnobrodivka (west of Avdiivka), although ISW found no visual evidence of this.

Fighting continued north-west of Avdiivka in the area of Novobakhmutivka, Novokalynove and Berdychiv; west of Avdiivka - near Semenivka, Umanske and Tonenke; south-west of Avdiivka near Pervomayske, Vodiane and Nevelske.

Ukrainian forces recently regained positions southwest of Donetsk as positional fighting continued in the area on 14 April. Geo-location footage released on 13 April showed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had made minor advances along Timiryazeva Street in the southwestern part of Novomykhailivka (southwest of Donetsk).

Russian ’military officials’ claimed that Russian troops allegedly continued to advance westwards along Tsentralna Street in the centre of Novomykhailivka, although the SMM did not find visual evidence of this claim.

Positional fighting also continued west of Donetsk in the area of Krasnohorivka and Heorhiivka.

On 14 April, positional fighting continued near the administrative border of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhya regions. Positional fighting continued south of Velyka Novosilka in the area of Staromayorske and Urozhayne.

Colonel Natalya Humenyuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Southern Operational Command, said that Russian forces in southern Ukraine - likely referring to the front line from Kamianske in Zaporizhzhya region (northwest of Robotyno) to Vuhledar in Donetsk region - are rotating units and moving their offensive eastward, towards Velyka Novosilka. Humenyuk said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are observing an increase in the number of Russian assaults near Velyka Novosilka and a decrease near Robotyno, and that the occupiers are not using armoured vehicles in these assaults.

"Southern Axis"

On 14 April, positional fighting continued near Robotyne and northwest of Verbove (east of Robotyne) in the western part of Zaporizhzhya region.