Ukraine reclaims 26 villages after eight-month advance on Oleksandrivka front
Between January and August, Ukraine's defence forces carried out two offensive operations on the Oleksandrivka front, liberating 26 villages and 745 square kilometres of territory while blocking a planned Russian push toward Orikhiv. President Zelenskyy announced the results on 12 August.
For months, Ukrainska Pravda journalists tracked a largely secret Ukrainian military operation near Oleksandrivka, where Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts meet. Though far less prominent than fronts like Pokrovsk or Kramatorsk, the area played a key role in blunting Russia's spring-summer offensive campaign.
The operation was initiated by then-Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and led on the ground by Air Assault Forces Commander Oleh Apostol. Syrskyi told UP that intelligence gathered in late 2025 revealed Russian plans to break through the Huliaipole-Dobropillia line and threaten Ukrainian forces near Orikhiv. To counter this, Ukrainian command launched an offensive at Oleksandrivka intended to pull Russian troops away from their main axis, forcing Moscow to redeploy units even from near Pokrovsk.
Two operations
The first offensive, launched early in 2026 near Huliaipole, saw Ukrainian troops advance 9-11 kilometres into Russian-held territory in an attempt to squeeze enemy forces from two directions. The deepest objective was not reached due to insufficient troop numbers, but the operation halted Russia's advance toward Orikhiv and set the stage for a second push.
That second operation began on 5 May along more than 50 kilometres of front line, between Nove Zaporizhzhia and Filiia, aiming to drive Russian forces out of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and toward Komar and Velyka Novosilka. Reinforcements from several air assault brigades joined the effort after the 95th Brigade, which led the first operation, became depleted.
By August, the two operations combined had liberated 26 villages across three oblasts and nearly all of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, apart from the village of Dachne. Casualty figures remain undisclosed, though some sources described unusually low death tolls alongside a notable number of soldiers reported missing or absent without leave.
