Russian Forces Push Forward in Southeastern Ukraine
Vladimir Putin's military has made significant advances in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, capturing two key settlements according to the Russian defence ministry. The developments on Sunday mark a concerning shift in momentum along this front line.
Russian troops have seized control of Rivnopillya, a move that military analysts suggest places the southern town of Huliaipole in danger of being encircled by Russian pincer movements. In a separate advance, forces captured Mala Tokmachka, located just 9km from the strategic location of Orikhiv.
Strategic Implications and Ukrainian Response
Prominent Russian military blogger Yuri Podolyaka described the capture of Mala Tokmachka as particularly significant, calling it "the gateway to Orikhiv" and highlighting the strategic importance of these territorial gains for future operations.
Ukraine has not officially commented on these specific claims, though the country's top general had warned last week about deteriorating conditions along sections of the Zaporizhphia front, including the area around Huliaipole. Kyiv has acknowledged withdrawing from several villages in this region recently.
Ukrainian troops and commanders report that severe manpower shortages are hampering their ability to maintain defensive positions, despite both sides employing extensive drone warfare that makes any territorial advance extremely costly in terms of equipment and personnel.
International Reactions and Military Support
Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban delivered a stark assessment of Ukraine's prospects, stating the country has "no chance" of winning against Russia. During a conversation with Mathias Döpfner, CEO of German media group Axel Springer, Orban denounced Europe's financial support to Ukraine as "just crazy."
"We have burned already €185bn, and our intention is to burn even more. So we finance a country which has no chance to win the war," Orban stated, expressing his opposition to continued European financial backing for Ukraine's war effort.
As these developments unfolded, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in France to finalise important defence agreements. The deals are expected to include the supply of additional air-defence capabilities, warplanes, and missiles to bolster Ukraine's military capacity against the ongoing Russian invasion.
According to analysis of battlefield maps supportive of Ukraine, Russian forces have advanced at least 30km across a broad section of the Zaporizhzhia–Dnipropetrovsk axis over the past six weeks. Russia currently controls approximately 19% of Ukrainian territory – about 115,000 square kilometres – representing a marginal increase compared to two years ago, with Moscow continuing to pursue full control of the Donbas region along with the entire Kherson and Zaporizhzhia areas.
