Russia Prioritizes Hulyaipole Offensive Over Defense

Russian forces are prioritizing offensive operations in the Hulyaipole direction over defending against Ukrainian counterattacks, according to an assessment from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) dated April 10, 2026.

This operational focus follows a period of significant Russian advances in southern Ukraine. The city of Hulyaipole and the surrounding northern areas were the subject of a military engagement that began on September 11, 2025, and concluded in January 2026 with the capture of the city by the Russian Armed Forces.

During the Huliaipole offensive, Russian forces captured the city and 42 villages across the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts. The operation involved several units of the Russian Ground Forces, including the 127th Motor Rifle Division, the 114th Motor Rifle Regiment, and the 36th, 37th, and 38th Motorized Rifle Brigades, supported by the Russian Aerospace Forces.

Ukrainian defense efforts in the region included the 20th Army Corps of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, specifically the 141st Mechanized Brigade and the 225th Assault Battalion, as well as the 102nd and 106th Territorial Defense Brigades of the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces.

Operational Tactics and Recent Developments

The Russian military has utilized a specific operational template to facilitate gains in the Hulyaipole, Pokrovsk, and Oleksandrivka directions. This approach relies on mass small group assaults, infiltration missions, tactical interdiction, and a prolonged battlefield air interdiction campaign.

By early spring 2025, Russian forces began using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to interdict Ukrainian ground lines of communication to support these advances. In the specific case of Hulyaipole, Russian forces bypassed south-facing defenses by advancing from the east and northeast.

Following the capture of the city in January 2026, Russian activities have continued to evolve. On March 18, 2026, Robert Brovdi, commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, stated that Russian troops had launched a spring offensive. He noted that Russian troops were advancing from Hulyaipole toward Pokrovsk.

In response to these movements, the Unmanned Systems Forces reported neutralizing 900 Russian troops over a 36-hour period along a 100-kilometer sector.

2025 Campaign Context

The current prioritization of the Hulyaipole direction is situated within a broader 2025 campaign characterized by an increased average rate of Russian advance. According to ISW data from December 31, 2025, Russian forces seized 4,831 square kilometers in Ukraine and regained approximately 473 square kilometers in the Kursk Oblast during that year.

The average daily Russian rate of advance in 2025 was 13.24 square kilometers per day, which was higher than the 9.87 square kilometers per day average recorded in 2024. This rate peaked in November 2025 at 20.99 square kilometers per day before slowing to 15 square kilometers per day in December.

Data from the Ukrainian General Staff indicated that Russian forces suffered 416,570 casualties throughout 2025, averaging 78 casualties per square kilometer seized in Ukraine and the Kursk Oblast.