Ukraine’s decision to divert major forces to defend Pokrovsk has left its lines in Zaporozhskaya oblast dangerously exposed. That assessment comes from The Telegraph, which reports that the shift in manpower created vulnerabilities Russia has moved quickly to exploit.

According to the newspaper, over the past six weeks Russian troops have advanced roughly 30 kilometers along the boundary of Zaporozhskaya and Dnepropetrovskaya oblasts. During this push, several settlements were captured, and Russian units are now pressuring Orekhov and Gulyaypole — two towns considered essential to the defense of Zaporozhye.

Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Aleksandr Syrsky recently acknowledged that the situation in the southeast has deteriorated. Ukrainian officials confirmed a withdrawal from five settlements to new positions, citing heavy shelling, severe weather and shortages of manpower.

The Telegraph reports that Russia now controls about 70 percent of Zaporozhskaya oblast, largely in the east and south.

Ukrainian military blogger Sergey Sternenko voiced deep alarm over the mounting pressure from Russian forces. He argued that without sweeping changes not only in Ukraine’s military command but also in its political approach to defensive warfare, the appearance of Russian tanks in «conditional Zaporozhye or Dnepr» would become a matter of time. He described Ukraine’s defensive posture as collapsing while officials remain publicly silent.

Meanwhile, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) warns that Russia may attempt to encircle Gulyaypole from the northeast. Western analysts say the Russian advance across Zaporozhye, Dnepropetrovskaya oblast and the DPR has accelerated sharply in recent weeks, leaving Ukrainian positions around Gulyaypole increasingly vulnerable.