OSINT researcher Clément Molin notes that, overall, Ukrainian Defence Forces have recaptured more territory than they have lost on the Zaporizhzhia front in 2026.
Russian forces continue their offensive from Huliaipole to Ternuvate along a 30-kilometre-wide front, although their rate of advance remains slow.
For this offensive, Russia has concentrated three armies — the 35th, 36th and 5th — as well as the 68th Army Corps in this sector.
To the east of this area, Russian forces remain on the defensive, with the 29th Army deployed there.
To the west, the 58th Army has been making limited attempts to advance towards Orikhiv since the summer. However, Ukrainian forces have successfully strengthened and consolidated their defences.
Ukrainian Defence Forces have also carried out successful counterattacks north of Stepnohirsk and north of Huliaipole, reversing Russia's territorial gains from 2025.
According to Molin's assessment, these Ukrainian defensive successes have effectively eliminated the threat of further Russian advances towards several strategically important settlements and, beyond them, into the Dnipropetrovsk region.
