Ukraine’s intelligence shows offensive near Stepnohirsk to block Russian breakthrough

As a result of a series of successful offensive actions and amid constant “meat-grinder assaults” by occupying forces, troops of Artan and other units of Ukraine’s Defense Forces regained control of some positions and improved their tactical situation in Zaporizhzhya Oblast, the statement said.

According to military intelligence, the operation destroyed Russian forward assault groups, struck concentrations of Russian personnel and equipment, and killed dozens of occupiers.

The Defense Forces also cut off enemy logistics arteries by establishing fire control over them. Strikes on logistics routes and communications hubs have for now made Russian assaults in that sector impossible, intelligence officials said.

Artan commander Viktor Torkotiuk, call sign Tytan, said the comprehensive operation made it possible to “create a stable foothold for further clearing” of Stepnohirsk and the final expulsion of Russian troops.

The operation in the Zaporizhzhya sector is ongoing, Titan added.

In late December 2025, Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces said that Huliaipole and Stepnohirsk were partially under Russian control and that the situation there was difficult, though fighting for the settlements continued.

On Feb. 21, 2026, Southern Defense Forces spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn confirmed that Ukrainian units in the Huliaipole sector were carrying out counterattacks and assault actions while holding back enemy attempts to advance.

He said that since the operation began in late January 2026, control had been restored over more than 300 square kilometers of territory, including along the administrative border between Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhya oblasts.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the liberation of several settlements and said Ukrainian forces had partly taken advantage of disruptions in Starlink operations on the front line.