On August 12, Vladimir Zelensky announced the results of the offensive operation, which was carried out at the junction of the Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye and Donetsk regions since January 2026. The Ukrainian army managed to liberate the largest territory since the fall of 2022. What is known about this?
The first stage of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ operation in the Aleksandrovsky direction began on January 29. At that time, Russian troops, which invaded the Dnepropetrovsk region in the summer of 2025, were approaching the logistically important village of Pokrovskoye and its southern outskirts, the village of Aleksandrovka.
At the same time, the Russian army carried out offensive operations on the flanks, trying to capture the villages of Velikomikhailovka and Novopavlovka to the north in the Dnepropetrovsk region, and to the south - settlements in the Zaporozhye region near Gulyai-Polye.
If the Russian military had succeeded in this plan, they would have been able to break through the defenses of the Ukrainian fortified area in Orekhovo and reach the immediate approaches to Zaporozhye from the east.
In order to thwart the plans of the Russian military, the Ukrainian military command developed and launched a counter-offensive operation in this area.
The first part of the operation lasted from late January to April, and the second from May 5 to early August.
The operation was carried out by four brigades of airborne assault troops (AST) and two assault regiments.
According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Major General Mikhail Drapaty, during the first stage of the offensive operation, it was possible to liberate an area of 450 square meters. km, during the second - 490 sq. km.
In total, during the offensive we managed to take control of 745 square meters. km and clear about 300 sq. km from Russian infiltrated groups. km in the rear of the territory, Ukrainian authorities say.
According to the statement, 26 villages were liberated, namely 12 in the Dnepropetrovsk region, 10 in the Donetsk region, four in the Zaporozhye region.
The operation allowed the Ukrainian Defense Forces to drive the enemy out of the Dnepropetrovsk region. The Ukrainian military also eliminated the threat of an attack on Zaporozhye along the Donetsk-Zaporozhye highway.
The Russian military command did not comment on the statements about the success of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ offensive in the Aleksandrovsky direction. However, it should be noted that the Russian Ministry of Defense continued to report its “advancement” in the Dnepropetrovsk region throughout the spring and summer.
Moreover, on July 3, the Russian Ministry of War announced the capture of the village of Aleksandrovka. To confirm its words, the Russian Ministry of Defense showed a video of one serviceman unfurling the Russian flag on the street of a populated area.
During June-July, the Russian military also reported the capture of a number of neighboring villages.
Thus, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, it was they who were able to break through the Ukrainian defense in the Dnepropetrovsk region, and not the Ukrainian Armed Forces who knocked them out of these positions.
Foreign OSINT analysts, such as the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), deny this and emphasize that the Russian military's claims of control over this territory are untrue.
These settlements are located at a distance of 20–25 km from the current front line. According to the Ukrainian military, the enemy does not and did not have control over these villages, but filmed propaganda videos with flags after one or two fighters penetrated into the rear of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ positions, then these Russian soldiers were kicked out of the territory, no consolidation occurred.
The top of the Russian command gave false information about their progress, says the commander of the 95th brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Colonel Ruslan Marishev, who is participating in this offensive.
“Many Russian commanders deceived their senior leadership by providing false information about the front line—about where it actually was. Even when we had already advanced about 20–25 km deep into the defense of the Russian troops, their leadership did not believe in it and provided maps that we captured and confiscated from them... [the maps indicated] that they were 25 km in our rear,” he noted in an interview with the 1+1 TV channel.
In turn, the Ukrainian command for a long time did not publicly disclose the details of the progress of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
After the first stage of the operation in the spring, the military, in particular the commander of the DShV, revealed only general figures on the number of settlements and the area of liberated territories.
Thus, the actual location of the LBC (line of combat contact) for the Russian military in this direction came as a surprise, says Colonel Marishev.
As an example, he cites a situation where his subordinates were able to kill in close combat the commander of a Russian motorized rifle battalion, who was checking positions. He did not count on the Ukrainian army advancing so close to his positions.
The actual expulsion of Russian troops from the Dnepropetrovsk region is largely a political result.
But in military terms, it is important for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to get closer to the logistics routes used by the Russian army in the south.
Thus, as of August 13, the Ukrainian military is 3-4 km from the Velikaya Novoselka-Gulyaypole road and continues to advance in this direction in the area of the villages of Uspenevka and Temirovka.
That is, this route, important for the logistics of the Russian group, is no longer safe. This is forcing the Russian military to look for other routes to bring in food, ammunition and personnel, especially near Gulyai-Polye, which they captured late last year.
In addition, the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to start battles for the village of Komar, located on the banks of the Mokrye Yaly River, 15 km north of Velikaya Novoselka.
Russian troops captured this large settlement at the end of the winter of 2025 and turned it into their stronghold.
Military analyst of the Information Resistance group Konstantin Mashovets draws attention to the fact that Ukrainian forces need to cover several more kilometers (about 5-6 km to the village of Volnoe Pole) in order to approach a distance allowing them to establish fire control over Velyka Novoselka.
That is, in order to put the enemy in a critical position, the Ukrainian Defense Forces need to continue the offensive and make another breakthrough of 5-10 km.
Whether the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be able to achieve such an effect in the near future without transferring reserves is an open question.
