The town of Gulyaypole in the Zaporizhye region has emerged as a new flashpoint in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, joining Pokrovsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Kupyansk in the Kharkov region. This assessment was reported by the Ukrainian TV channel «Gromadske», whose correspondents spoke with several servicemen and officers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Many of those interviewed described Gulyaypole as a strategic outpost of Zaporizhye region, noting that Russian forces are steadily closing in.

One Ukrainian commander said the rapid advance of Russian troops suggested a collapse of the frontline, though he admitted it was difficult to gauge the scale while events were still unfolding. He added that the 102nd Brigade considered the situation catastrophic, pointing out that it had held this sector «an eternity».

By mid-November 2025, Ukrainian military officials publicly acknowledged the sharp deterioration in the area. Vladislav Voloshin, spokesperson for the Defense Forces of the South, said this stretch of the front had become one of the most strained, forcing Ukrainian units to fall back to positions more suitable for defense.

A fighter from Gulyaypole’s territorial defense explained that Russian units were already maneuvering behind their lines, only four kilometers away. He warned that the Ukrainian grouping in the town risked being encircled.

He stressed that their ranks were thinning and that reinforcements were urgently needed, estimating that time was running out not in months or weeks, but in days.

The soldier added that since late September and early October, Russian forces had broken through Ukrainian defenses along the Poltavka-Rovnopolye line. As a result, he said, Ukrainian troops now found themselves fighting in conditions that resembled «all-around defense».

According to him, Russian units had passed behind their positions, leaving no support in the rear, and Ukrainian forces were effectively engaged on all sides. He concluded that a shortage of personnel remained one of the biggest problems, eroding morale and driving many soldiers to desert under pressure.