Ukraine halts Russian offensive toward Zaporizhzhia, killing, injuring 300 Russian troops, HUR claims
The units of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) and the Armed Forces have stopped Russia's advance toward the city of Zaporizhzhia as part of a three-month defensive operation in the country's south, HUR claimed on March 7.
The statement was made as Russian advances on most sections of the front line slowed during the winter, mirroring patterns observed on the battlefield the previous year. Meanwhile, Ukrainian units along the southern front in Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts have been pushing forward.
HUR did not reveal the exact area where the Russian offensive was halted.
The special forces unit of Ukraine's military intelligence, Tymura, killed or wounded over 300 Russian soldiers and captured 39 more, HUR said.
"The goal of the special forces is to disrupt the Russians' offensive plans and prevent their advance toward the regional capital," the agency said.
"The actions of the special forces helped stabilize the defense at positions favorable to the Ukrainian defenders and secure Zaporizhzhia."
Zaporizhzhia, home to approximately 710,000 residents before Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, is frequently targeted by Russian forces.
Zaporizhzhia Oblast is also home to the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, which has been under Russian occupation since 2022 and remains one of the thorny issues in ongoing peace talks between Ukraine, the U.S. and Russia.
Over February, dozens of videos emerged on social media of Ukrainian forces conducting offensive operations in the part of the front line where Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts meet.
In late February, President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Ukrainian forces had liberated 300 square kilometers of territory in a "counteroffensive" operation in the south.
Operating in a wide contested "grey zone" with infiltrations on both sides, the Ukrainian advances, as seen in open-source reports, appear more like extended clearing operations rather than efforts to capture or breach Russian-held defensive lines.
