Huliaipole on the interactive map of hostilities. Screenshot: DeepStateMap
Ukraine prioritised defence over retaking Huliaipole to improve position in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, commander says
Assault troops say the success of the latest offensive in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast was achieved because Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi agreed not to expend manpower on retaking Huliaipole. Instead, the Armed Forces of Ukraine switched to a defensive posture there to improve their tactical positio
Ukrainska Pravda
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Assault troops say the success of the latest offensive in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast was achieved because Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi agreed not to expend manpower on retaking Huliaipole. Instead, the Armed Forces of Ukraine switched to a defensive posture there to improve their tactical position.
Source: Dmytro "Perun" Filatov, Commander of the 1st Separate Assault Regiment, in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda
Quote: "If you're interested in the depth and essence of all this, I'll say the following. We managed to achieve results in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast because the commander-in-chief agreed not to spend resources and manpower on retaking Huliaipole [which was practically lost at the end of 2025 – ed.].
Instead, we focused on holding defensive positions there as much as possible. And the forces and assets that were freed up were used to improve the tactical situation on the flank [this refers to the area between Huliaipole and Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, one of the fronts of the 1st Assault Regiment's offensive during this operation – ed.]. There is a ridge of high ground with fortifications where we are now holding the line."
Details: Explaining his earlier remark that "Huliaipole is almost occupied, but this is part of the plan", which sparked mixed reactions, Filatov said the initial concept of operations had been different, but there were insufficient forces to fully implement it.
He declined to say who proposed the manoeuvre to abandon efforts to hold Huliaipole and instead focus on defensive actions.
Quote: "I won't say. I can say that Huliaipole was not abandoned – assault units were regrouped there, the 5th Assault Brigade and the 225th Regiment entered the area. We could have deployed two more airborne brigades and three more assault regiments – then Huliaipole definitely wouldn't have fallen [joking – ed.]! But fighting in an urban area is extremely difficult. We wouldn't have achieved any tactical gains there, we would have simply worn down our forces against the enemy.
Instead, we stopped their advance in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, blocked further opportunities for their advance and narrowed their zone of influence. Eventually, they will abandon offensive operations in this sector, and the situation here will stabilise. Our offensive actions will also force the enemy to redeploy units here from the Pokrovsk front, significantly easing the situation for the 1st National Guard Corps and the 7th Air Assault Corps."
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