14:31 17-11-2025

Russian Breakthrough Shatters Ukrainian Line at Gulyaypole

Russian troops pierced the Ukrainian defense at Gulyaypole as analysts cite Syrsky’s fragmented tactics and warn the city’s defenses may fall sooner than expected.

Russian forces have successfully broken through Ukrainian defensive lines on the Gulyaypole axis in Zaporozhskaya oblast — a development acknowledged by Russian military analysts.

Experts point to what they describe as a failure by the Ukrainian commander-in-chief Aleksandr Syrsky to build a coordinated defensive strategy in this sector. Instead of a comprehensive approach, they say Ukrainian command relied on «firefighting teams» to address isolated threats as they emerged. As an example, one battalion of the Ukrainian 125th brigade reportedly lost 25 percent of its personnel within just a few days, despite initially holding a numerical advantage over Russian units.

At the same time, analysts caution that it is premature to call the situation catastrophic for the Ukrainian side. They note that Ukrainian forces are actively laying anti-personnel mines along the approaches to Gulyaypole. However, they warn that if the current pace of the Russian advance continues, the city’s defensive line may collapse sooner than expected.

Earlier, Russian military correspondent Andrey Rudenko reported that a new operational encirclement is forming around Ukrainian troops on the Zaporozhye front. He said Russian forces have begun to envelop the strategically important settlement of Gulyaypole and that Ukrainian units already recognize the inevitability of losses — and a likely defeat — in this area in the near future.