Russian Armed Forces stormed positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces west of Grabovskoye village in Sumy region during the 29-minute reporting window ending at 2:45 PM UTC on January 2, 2026, according to Colonelcassad, with georeferenced coordinates at 50.7181002, 35.4322149 and accompanying video evidence. The Russian command seeks to expand the front line to stretch Ukrainian reserves. Colonelcassad reported ongoing clashes at the railway north of Hrabovke on the Sumy front, with an expanded gray zone, as shared by X user Majakovsk73 during the same period. Majakovsk73 also documented expanded Russian control north of Ryzhnihivka on the Siversk front and Russian forces taking the cemetery area of Doroznyhanka on the Huliaipole front. These developments occurred amid Russian efforts to present Ukrainian forces with dilemmas on reserve allocation across secondary directions, per Colonelcassad, including speculation on operations in Kherson and Chernihiv regions.
