Map of the special operation in Ukraine on January 3

A special military operation to protect the civilian population of Donbass has been conducted by Russia since February 24, 2022. You can track the progress of the joint forces of Russia, the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), as well as view the map of military operations on January 3, 2026 in the Izvestia material.

The units of the Northern Group of Russian Troops have improved their tactical situation. The military defeated formations of a mechanized brigade, an assault regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and two air defense brigades in the areas of Grunovka, Kondratovka, Pisarevka and Shostka in the Sumy region. In addition, units of two mechanized, motorized infantry brigades of the Ukrainian army and a defense brigade near the settlements of Staritsa, Ternovaya and Chugunovka in the Kharkiv region were hit in the Kharkiv direction. As a result, the enemy lost up to 215 fighters, eight vehicles and a field artillery piece. The warehouse of material assets has also been liquidated.

Units of the Zapad group of forces attacked the manpower and equipment of two mechanized, assault, and airmobile brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard brigade in the areas of Hrushevka, Kupyansk-Uzlovoye, Senkovo, and Smorodkovka in the Kharkiv region.
In total, in the area of responsibility of the Western Group of Forces, the Ukrainian army lost up to 210 military personnel, an ammunition depot, an armored combat vehicle, as well as artillery, 14 vehicles and an electronic warfare (EW) station.

As a result of active actions, units of the South group of Russian troops liberated the settlement of Bondarnoye in the Donetsk People's Republic. The servicemen struck the formations of two mechanized, airmobile, assault, mountain assault brigades of the enemy, as well as the air defense brigades near Zakotny, Kondratovka, Konstantinovka, Malinovka and Reznikovka in the DPR.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 220 militants, four artillery pieces, 11 armored combat vehicles, 13 vehicles and a warehouse of materiel.

The units of the Central Group of Forces have taken more advantageous positions and lines. The manpower and equipment of two mechanized, infantry, assault, two amphibious assault, and airmobile brigades, three assault regiments of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a marine brigade, and a National Guard brigade were defeated near the settlements of Belitskoye, Novy Donbass, Rodinskoye, Toretskoye, and Udachnoye in the DPR, as well as Novopavlovka, Dnipropetrovsk region. The Ukrainian army lost up to 400 soldiers, two tanks, six armored combat vehicles, two field artillery guns and seven cars.

The units of the Vostok group of forces continued to advance into the depth of the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Russian military attacked the manpower and equipment of the airborne assault brigade and four assault regiments of the Ukrainian army in the areas of Zaliznichny, Petrovka, Vozdvizhenka and Rizdvyanka in the Zaporizhia region. The enemy lost up to 215 fighters, 11 vehicles, two combat vehicles with multiple launch rocket systems, including a Vampire made in the Czech Republic, an artillery piece and six armored combat vehicles, as well as lost a warehouse of materiel.

Units of the Dnepr group of forces defeated formations of the mechanized, mountain assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the air defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Novoandreevka and Orekhov in the Zaporizhia region and Sadovoye in the Kherson region.
The enemy's losses amounted to up to 40 Ukrainian soldiers, nine vehicles, a German-made IRIS-T anti-aircraft missile launcher, three artillery pieces and an electronic warfare station. The warehouse of material assets has been liquidated.

Operational-tactical aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile forces and artillery of groups of troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have hit energy and port infrastructure facilities that are used in the interests of the armed forces and the military-industrial complex of Ukraine, assembly and storage sites for long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, an air defense radar station, as well as temporary locations of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 156 districts.

Air defense systems shot down 15 guided aerial bombs, two US-made HIMARS multiple rocket launchers and 124 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles.

In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 670 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 10,7003 unmanned aerial vehicles, 642 anti-aircraft missile systems, 26,871 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,636 multiple rocket launchers, 32,360 field artillery and mortars, 50,714 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed.

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