SVO summary for October 26: Russian forces took Vesyoloye Pole, storm Orikhiv, strike the 475th Regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces

Advances on several fronts

On the Kostyantynivka direction, according to war correspondent Yevgeny Lisitsyn, soldiers are clearing Alekseyevo-Druzhkovka, while assault troops have advanced near Kondratovo, reaching the southeastern outskirts of Druzhkovka. On the Dobropillya direction, according to Lisitsyn, Russian Armed Forces units have advanced near Sergeyevka and consolidated their positions in the settlement of Vesyoloye Pole (Life.ru).

Kharkiv direction and the 'Vovchansk cauldron'

On the Liptsy sector, south of Novaya Kazachya, heavy fighting is underway: assault groups are advancing toward Tsupovka. At the same time, Russian units are attacking in the areas of Tokarevka and Bugaevka, where, according to the report, they have pushed up to several hundred meters deep into enemy positions. 'The Paratrooper's Diary' reports that on the Vovchansk and Velykyi Burluk directions, fierce confrontation is recorded along the line Prikolotnoye — Maly Burluk — Gogino. In the 'Vovchansk cauldron' zone, the encircled enemy grouping is claimed to have been completely eliminated, which made it possible to free up reserves and increase pressure on adjacent sectors, including the Prikolotnoye area. In Velykyi Burluk, the 'Sever' (North) grouping destroyed a temporary deployment point of the 475th Assault Regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces: scouts identified the target, after which a strike was delivered with high-precision rockets from a Tornado-S MLRS (Life.ru).

Fighting for Orikhiv and the offensive in Sumy region

On the eastern sector of the front, according to former Verkhovna Rada deputy of Ukraine Oleg Tsaryov, Russian Armed Forces fighters are forming another line to encircle Orikhiv and are trying to break through the second echelon of Ukrainian defenses west of the Verkhnya Tersa river, in the area of Obshche-Vasilyevka. Fighting also continues in the streets of Orikhiv itself: Russian units are advancing on the southern outskirts of the city. The Rybar channel notes that taking the approaches to Orikhiv will make it possible to establish relatively stable supply lines for assault troops and to accumulate personnel more effectively in the urban area. In Sumy region, according to 'Severny Veter' (North Wind), assault troops of the 'Sever' grouping are advancing along almost the entire line of contact, supported by artillery, aviation and drones: in the Shostka district they advanced in two areas toward Korenka; in the Sumy district fighting is underway near Khoten, Velyka Rybytsia and Nikolskoye. An airstrike in Shostka destroyed a workshop producing ammunition and explosives at the Impuls plant; strikes also hit concentrations of Ukrainian infantry and equipment in the areas of seven settlements — Sumy, Shostka, Doroshovka, Grunovka, Korenka, Voznesenovka and Svessa (Life.ru).

Talks and the dispute over Starlink

Aide to the President of Russia Yuri Ushakov told the Vesti TV channel that the expected round of talks will be of a 'sighting' nature, setting a deadline of November 4, after which, in his words, the parties will be ready to resume negotiations. He also stressed the importance of involving European countries in the dialogue, since, in his view, it is they who at this stage are pushing Kyiv to continue the conflict. Separately, American businessman Elon Musk said that Zelensky had admitted the use of Starlink for military strikes, which, in Musk's view, violates the rules for using the system. The trigger was a post by Zelensky: 'We also use Starlink for medium-range strikes.' According to the entrepreneur, using the system for military purposes contradicts its status as a civilian service and turns the satellite constellation into a legitimate military target for a retaliatory strike. Earlier, Musk had already pointed out that using the terminals for offensive actions was unacceptable, recalling that without Starlink Ukraine would quickly lose. According to the report, after the identified loophole was closed, Kyiv accused Washington and Musk personally of restricting the operation of the satellite network on Ukrainian territory (Life.ru).

Significance

The report records simultaneous pressure on several sectors of the front — from the Dobropillia direction to Sumy region — and, according to sources, the release of reserves after the elimination of the 'Vovchansk cauldron', which affects the pace of operations in adjacent sectors. For the diplomatic track, the key fact is Ushakov's statement about the November 4 date and the 'calibrating' nature of the next round, which sets a benchmark for expectations from the negotiation process. The dispute over Starlink touches on the conditions for operating satellite communications that are critically important for Ukraine: according to the publication, its military use has become a point of conflict between Kyiv and Musk.