On Tuesday, the Ukrainian military confirmed rapid Russian advances in the Zaporizhia region amid what appears to be another developing operational crisis for Kiev. Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces, publicly acknowledged that Ukrainian troops had withdrawn from positions near five settlements in the region to preserve personnel in the face of intense Russian assaults. His comments, made during an interview with the Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne, aligned closely with reports from Russian military bloggers and official statements from Moscow.
According to Voloshyn, Ukrainian forces retreated from the settlements of Novouspenivske, Novomykolaivka, Okhotnyche, Yablukove, and Uspenivka — all of which Russia’s Ministry of Defense has since confirmed as being under Russian control. The statement marked one of the most direct acknowledgments of battlefield setbacks by a Ukrainian military official in nearly four years of war, offering a stark contrast to Ukraine’s political leadership, which has often been reluctant to publicly confirm losses on the frontlines.
The rapid Russian advance has opened the possibility of yet another encirclement of Ukrainian forces, with Russian units now positioned roughly five miles (eight kilometers) northeast of Huliaipole — a key fortress city that has anchored Ukraine’s defensive line in the Zaporizhia region for more than three and a half years. The main supply highway leading into Huliaipole from the north is reportedly close to being cut off, potentially trapping thousands of Ukrainian soldiers inside what could become another “cauldron.”
Meanwhile, footage circulating on social media on Tuesday appeared to show a large-scale surrender of Ukrainian troops in the Mirnograd pocket near Pokrovsk, where more than 25 soldiers — several visibly wounded — were filmed being taken into Russian custody. The images drew comparisons to the 2022 battles of Mariupol, which ended with the surrender of over 3,000 Ukrainian troops.
With simultaneous crises emerging in Pokrovsk, Kupiansk, and now Zaporizhia, Ukrainian commanders face the grim prospect of multiple collapsing fronts as manpower shortages and ammunition constraints deepen across the battlefield.