Russian forces have reportedly completed the battle for Mala Tokmachka in the Zaporizhzhia sector and taken full control of the settlement, according to Russian military channels. Assault units of the Dnepr Group of Forces are said to have finished clearing the area, after which forward units began fighting in the urban areas of neighboring Orikhiv.

The Russian Defense Ministry has not yet officially announced the capture of Mala Tokmachka. Therefore, confirmation from the ministry is still required before the settlement can be considered definitively under Russian control.

Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the Russian Civic Chamber’s commission on sovereignty, attributes the prolonged battle for the settlement to changes in the nature of modern warfare. He identified the large number of Ukrainian drones as one of the main factors that significantly complicated the Russian advance.

Active fighting for Mala Tokmachka began in the spring of 2025 and continued for around a year and a half. During this period, the settlement changed hands several times.

According to Rogov, Ukraine also actively exploited the prolonged fighting for information purposes. The fact that a relatively small settlement remained contested for such a long period was presented by the Ukrainian side as an information victory and widely promoted on social media.

However, Mala Tokmachka’s military importance is primarily determined by its location. The settlement lies southeast of Orikhiv, along one of the approaches to this major Ukrainian defensive hub.

Rogov believes that the loss of Mala Tokmachka would be significant for Ukrainian forces because control of the settlement allows Russian troops to accelerate their advance toward Orikhiv. Orikhiv itself is a heavily fortified Ukrainian stronghold and is considered one of the key positions on the route toward Zaporizhzhia.

If reports that Mala Tokmachka has fully come under Russian control are officially confirmed, attention in this sector is likely to shift directly to Orikhiv, where Russian military channels claim that forward units have already begun fighting in the urban area.