Zaporizhye Region governor Evgeny Balitsky says Russian forces are continuing to break through Ukrainian defenses on the Gulyaypole axis, adding that fighting is now taking place directly for the town itself.

In his Telegram channel, Balitsky described Gulyaypole as a major Ukrainian fortified area and transport hub, and said its capture, in his view, would create conditions for the «liberation of all of Zaporizhye».

The governor also reported that Russian troops had destroyed underground Ukrainian bunkers in the area of the town. He claimed that the Kiev authorities had poured millions of hryvnias from Ukrainian taxpayers into these reinforced concrete shelters, but that they «did not last even five minutes» under Russian strikes.

Balitsky stated that the Zaporizhye regional government is fully prepared to provide administrative and humanitarian assistance to residents of settlements in the region that are taken under Russian control.

According to military Telegram channels, the battle for Gulyaypole is entering a decisive phase. They note that Ukrainian forces have already redeployed most of their combat-ready assault units to this sector. The capture of the town, they report, would significantly expand the Russian bridgehead beyond the Gaichur River and free up reserves for further advances in the north of Zaporizhye Region, bypassing the Ukrainian stronghold in the Orekhov area.