Weekly Russia-Ukraine war summary: Chinese soldiers captured in Ukraine, Russian forces advance in Sumy, fighting continues in Belgorod

In this week’s summary:

• Russian forces have reached the border in the Kursk Region and are advancing in the border zone of Ukraine’s Sumy Region.
  
• President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed the presence of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the border area of Russia’s Belgorod Region — they have been tasked with establishing a “forward line of defense.”
  
• On the Lyman axis, the expansion of the Russian bridgehead on the right bank of the Zherebets River threatens to collapse Ukrainian defenses.
  
• Russian forces continue their offensive southwest of Toretsk, where fierce urban combat is ongoing.
  
• Russia’s average daily territorial advance in Ukraine has slowed from a peak of 15–30 sq. km to 2–7 sq. km.
  
• Drones struck fiber optics and explosives manufacturing facilities deep within Russian territory.
  
• Two Chinese nationals have been captured by Ukrainian forces — and at least 155 Chinese citizens are believed to be fighting for Russia.
  
• European allies have announced military aid packages for Ukraine in 2025 totaling over €23 billion.
  

Situation at the front

In Russia’s Kursk Region, Russian troops have reached the villages of Oleshnya and Gornal — the last settlements in the region reportedly still under control of the AFU. This comes after news that Russian forces have established their presence (1, 2) in the village of Guevo. The surrounding area remains active with drone warfare, and Ukrainian sources have released footage of a Russian convoy being destroyed en route to Guevo.

Russian sources released footage of a Russian flag being planted in the border village of Zhuravka, located in Ukraine’s Sumy Region. Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) reported the capture of Basivka. However, neither official nor unofficial Ukrainian sources have confirmed the loss of the village. Footage suggests that both Russian and Ukrainian forces remain present in Basivka. Russian assault units reportedly made at least one push through Basivka toward Loknya to the south. Ukrainian Special Operations Forces were called in to clear its northern outskirts.

In Russia’s Belgorod Region, Russian forces retreated 600 meters near the village of Popovka. Claims made by Russian military blogger Vladimir Romanov — that advancing AFU units were encircled by the 155th Separate Naval Infantry Brigade transferred from Kursk — have been denied (1, 2) by Ukrainian soldiers of the 225th Separate Assault Regiment. Another Russian blogger, Yuri Kotenok, claimed that Russian troops cleared the village of Demidovka.

In the Sumy border area, Russian forces reportedly destroyed an M1 Abrams tank, indicating that Ukraine’s 47th Mechanized Brigade — previously active in Kursk — has been redeployed to the area. Drone operators from the 47th also released footage of strikes on Russian infantry in Demidovka and Popovka. President Volodymyr Zelensky officially confirmed the AFU’s presence in the region for the first time, stating that their mission is to establish a “forward line of defense” to protect the residents of Kharkiv and Sumy regions from Russian strikes.

On the Lyman axis, Russian sources claimed (1, 2) the capture of Katerinivka on the right bank of the Zherebets River. The Ukrainian platform DeepState has not confirmed this development, though it acknowledges Russian advances near Novolyubivka and their superiority in drones and manpower in the area. Ukraine’s 66th Mechanized Brigade, defending this sector, reported that Russia maintains a tenfold advantage in terms of troops. Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov described the situation in the sector as “critical,” warning that if not addressed urgently, the front line may “collapse.”

On the Bakhmut axis, positional battles continue near Stupochky, south of Chasiv Yar, where Russian forces are attempting to bypass the city toward Kostiantynivka. On the neighboring Toretsk axis, Russian troops are trying to encircle Toretsk from the west, having occupied Panteleimonivka, Oleksandropil, and Kalynove. A Russian column managed a 6-kilometer breakthrough north of Toretsk but was destroyed. There have also been minor Russian gains (1, 2) inside Toretsk itself.

According to the Ukrainian analytical channel Oko Hora ✙, between March 31 and April 6, Russian forces advanced an average of 4 sq. km per day — down from 7 sq. km per day the week prior. This brings the 2025 average daily advance to 2–7 sq. km, compared to 15–30 sq. km at certain peaks in 2024. The channel also notes a 10% drop in the number of engagements compared to the previous week, based on statistics from the Ukrainian General Staff.

Mutual strikes and sabotage

The death toll from the April 4 Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih has exceeded 100: more than 90 were injured and 20 killed in the attack. Among the dead are nine children — the highest number of child casualties from a single attack since the war began. The RoseMarine restaurant, which was the likely target of the strike, was confirmed to have been hosting a beauty industry forum at the time — not a meeting between Ukrainian military commanders and Western instructors, as was claimed by Russia’s Defense Ministry.

The missile detonated at a considerable distance from the RoseMarine restaurant, with most casualties reported 80 to 100 meters away. Surveillance footage revealed no visible military presence or destroyed military vehicles near the site, while the restaurant itself sustained only minor damage.

Over the course of the week, the Ukrainian Air Force reported the downing (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) 242 Shahed-type and other unidentified drones out of 486 launched across Ukraine. An additional 185 drones were “radar-lost.” No report was issued regarding the April 7 drone raid, and no attacks were confirmed that night. Additionally, 24 missiles of various types were launched (23 of them on the night of April 6), with 13 intercepted.

Since Ukraine’s proposal for a temporary ceasefire in March, Russian forces have launched around 70 missiles and over 2,200 Shahed drones against Ukrainian territory, according to a statement by Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense, meanwhile, claimed to have shot down 416 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over Russian territory and occupied Crimea during the week. Of these, 158 were intercepted on the night of April 9, marking the largest Ukrainian drone attack since the so-called “energy truce,” as noted by the independent Russian publication Agentstvo.

Over the past week, several sites across Russian territory were reported to have come under attack:

• Shaikovka air base in Kaluga Region was targeted on March 31. The facility hosts Tu-22M3 strategic bombers and stores Kh-22/Kh-32 missiles.
  
  
• The Optic Fiber Systems plant in Saransk was struck twice on April 5 — both overnight and during the day. The facility is Russia’s only producer of fiber-optic cable, which is used, among other applications, in FPV drones.
  
  
• The Promsintez explosives factory in Chapayevsk, Samara Region, came under attack on the night of April 5. The strike caused a spill of nitric acid and damaged chemical tanks, finished goods warehouses, and production lines.
  
  
• On the night of April 9, military airfields in the town of Mozdok in North Ossetia and in the Orenburg Region, a missile and artillery depot in the Serdobsk district of the Penza Region, and an explosives plant in Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod Region, were reportedly struck.

According to volunteers from the open source intelligence project Conflict Intelligence Team (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), between 8:00 PM on April 3 and 8:00 PM on April 10, at least 57 civilians were killed and 332 injured from attacks on civilian infrastructure on both sides of the frontline.

Losses

As of the end of March 2025, an estimated 68,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the war, according to figures from the UALosses project. The independent outlet Mediazona then compared these figures to Russian losses.

Open-source data compiled by Mediazona, BBC News Russian, and a team of volunteers, indicates that the number of confirmed Russian military deaths now stands at 101,883. The publications’ tally rose by 1,882 over the past two weeks — since it was last updated. An additional 10,377 obituaries are currently being verified.

The Associated Press published video footage of the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war near the village of Pyatykhatky in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Region; the incident occurred on March 13, 2025. The 47-second drone video shows four Ukrainian soldiers emerging from a destroyed house at gunpoint. All four lie face-down on the ground before being shot in the back. Journalists also uncovered a second video, apparently filmed from the Russian side, but it does not show the moment of the execution.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky released a video that he said shows a captured Chinese national who had been fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. In response, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry summoned China’s chargé d’affaires to provide an explanation. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian denied any official involvement on the part of his country, saying that Beijing has not sent troops to participate in the war. Zelensky, however, claimed that at least 155 Chinese citizens have been identified as currently fighting on Russia’s side.

The investigative media outlet Sistema released a documentary titled Ghost Slaughter, detailing how Russian prisoners are being used as soldiers in Ukraine. According to the outlet, the “Storm Z” program — a series of penal military units largely composed of convicts and known for high casualty rates — is overseen by Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU.

Weapons and military vehicles

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Ukraine’s readiness to purchase American weapons and military equipment valued at between $30 billion and $50 billion. The funds may be transferred directly or else be contributed to a joint mineral extraction fund, which is being discussed as a possible format for broader cooperation.

This week also saw announcements of major new military aid packages for Ukraine, including at the latest meeting of the Ramstein group. According to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas, European countries have committed to providing Ukraine with over €23 billion in military aid in 2025 alone.

Throughout the week, Russian frontline soldiers showcased various improvised — and often bizarre — pieces of modified military equipment, including:

• A Soviet-era GAZ-69 off-road vehicle from the 1950s fitted with a grill (“mangal”).
  
• “17th-century grenades,” reportedly used for destroying fortifications.
  
• A BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle modified with a homemade mine roller.
  
• An MT-LB armored vehicle outfitted with a makeshift “airborne booth” and a “machine gunner’s birdhouse,” designed to protect troops as they dismount.