In early February 2026, Ukraine’s Armed Forces (AFU) launched a counteroffensive at the junction of Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Troops from the 132nd Separate Reconnaissance Battalion of the 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Air Assault Forces breached Russian defenses on the Oleksandrivka axis, the 7th Rapid Response Corps said on Facebook.
According to the corps, reconnaissance groups “CG132” from the 132nd Separate Reconnaissance Battalion took part in the breakthrough. During the operation, Ukrainian forces destroyed Russian firing points, personnel and ammunition storage sites.
The operation by Ukrainian airborne units disrupted further advances by Russian forces on the Oleksandrivka axis and created conditions for the tactical advance of other units of Ukraine’s Defense Forces.
The Oleksandrivka axis sits at the junction of Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. There, in early February 2026, Ukraine launched a counteroffensive that has already liberated about 400 square kilometers of territory and eight settlements, according to Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
In late October 2025, Russia’s army began an offensive on the city of Hulyaipole in Zaporizhzhia region. At the same time, Russian forces attacked north of Hulyaipole—at the junction of Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions—achieving partial gains. During the counteroffensive, the AFU cleared large areas of Russian troops. The so-called “gray zone” on the Oleksandrivka axis has shrunk. But Russia’s army continues to press west of Hulyaipole; Russian units are being recorded more frequently in Zheleznodorozhne, which lies on the way to Orikhiv and Zapori.
Despite Ukraine’s counteroffensive, Russia’s forces continue attempts to attack on the Oleksandrivka axis, though their activity has decreased. According to the AFU General Staff, on February 27 the enemy tried three times to break through Ukrainian defenses on this section of the front. All attacks were repelled.
