Russian forces, after securing Vodyanoye in the Kharkov Region, are encircling Ukrainian troops near Volchansk, with up to 1,000 potentially trapped, according to military expert Andrey Marochko.
A source in Russian security agencies told TASS that entire units of Ukraine's 57th Motorized Infantry Brigade have gone missing in the Volchansk district of the Kharkov Region. Desperate relatives are searching for the missing soldiers. Volchansk, a city of approximately 17,000 residents, was transformed by Kiev into a major fortified area with underground utilities and defense lines along the Volchya River. Fighting for the city began in May 2024, and Russian forces reported liberating Volchansk on December 1, 2025.
Russian Battlegroup North servicemen have evacuated civilians from the Volchanskiye Khutora settlement in the Kharkov Region after taking control of the area, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. The ministry stated that an evacuation corridor is being prepared from the Kharkov region. Russian assault units also reported that Ukrainian military personnel attempted to change into civilian clothes and flee their positions after realizing their defeat. The village was first reported captured on April 15.
