Ukraine’s military is moving preemptively around Hulyaipole and Oleksandrivske, activity that can indeed be described as counterattacks, spokesman for the Operation Task Force South Vladyslav Voloshyn said. Russia is dropping roughly a hundred bombs a day in the south and claims to have seized the village of Krynychne. Here’s what is happening on the eastern flank of the Zaporizhzhia axis, where fighting has grown more intense than near Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad.
On the Hulyaipole axis, Ukrainian units are carrying out active counter-sabotage measures and counterattacking actions to rebut Russian claims of advances, Voloshyn said on the “My Ukraine” TV channel. To the northeast, near Oleksandrivske and Pokrovsk, Ukrainian troops are preventing Russian forces from entrenching in the “gray zone.” Analytical maps indicate the stretch where Ukrainian activity picked up runs roughly 45 kilometers.
Voloshyn was responding to a host’s question about claims by pro-Russian bloggers that a “Ukrainian counteroffensive” had begun on this sector. He outlined the fighting around Hulyaipole, saying Ukrainian forces are clearing out saboteurs and pushing Russian troops back before they can consolidate. On some days, up to 20 “search-and-strike and counter-sabotage operations” take place, he said, adding that troops also “carried out counterattacking actions.” Ukrainian forces are shrinking the gray zone and acting ahead of the enemy; to the adversary, that may look like an offensive, but it is “just deconfliction and coordination,” he said.
At the same time, the situation in Hulyaipole is “truly difficult,” as the enemy is pressing hard to push Ukrainian troops out, “but they are not succeeding,” Voloshyn said. Russian forces are putting pressure on surrounding settlements — Zheleznodorizhne, Varvarivka and Zelene.
“In Russian channels, claims are circulating again that they took Krynychne [west of Sviatopetrivka and Staroukrainka]. To get in there, they would have to try very, very hard. I want to refute that claim, because Krynychne is under our control,” Voloshyn said.
Near Oleksandrivka, the situation is “not simple,” he added. On that stretch, Ukrainian troops are also conducting “counterattacking and assault actions.”
The DeepState project’s front-line map shows the latest changes on the Hulyaipole–Oleksandrivske axis dated February 16–17. The area is northeast of Pokrovsk, a settlement on the N15 highway with Oleksandrivske as a suburb. Analysts reduced the red zone between Vyshneve and Ternove; in places, Russian troops were pushed back approximately 4.5 km. Farther south lies Hulyaipole, half of which is occupied, with the remaining (western) part in the gray zone. Krynychne, the village Voloshyn mentioned, sits to the north near a gray wedge stretching toward Tsvetkove from Svyatopetrivka.
In its February 19 update, Ukraine’s General Staff reported 49 Russian assaults on the Huliaipole axis — the hottest sector of the front. Near Pokrovsk, which previously topped the list, the number of Russian attacks dropped to 42. A similar pattern held the day before - 31 attacks versus 21 - indicating activity on the Zaporizhzhia front has risen by roughly 40%.
Separately, Ivan Tymocho, head of the Reservists’ Council, commented on the prospect of a Ukrainian offensive. The military expert said Ukraine’s command is using a specific tactic that inflicts Russian losses even without Ukrainian assault operations.
