Russia Redeploys Units From Pokrovsk to Huliaipole Following a Series of Counterattacks by Ukrainian Armed Forces

The Russian command has redeployed several brigades from the Donetsk region to the Huliaipole area in Zaporizhzhia.

According to the OSINT project Unit Observer (WarUnitObserver), this maneuver was a response to Ukraine’s reinforcement of the front and a series of counterattacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in late January and early February 2026.

The 68th Army Corps of the Eastern Military District of the Russian Federation, which previously operated in the Pokrovsk-Dobropillia section, has returned to the Vostok group.

Currently, the units of the corps are storming positions west of Huliaipole, in particular near the village of Hirke. The 40th Marine Brigade (military unit 10103) also appeared on the southern front. Previously, the brigade suffered heavy losses in Donetsk and Sumy regions.

The movement of this marine brigade was recorded after the resignation of Marine Corps Commander Sukhrab Sultanovich Akhmedov (formerly a major general, later a lieutenant general).

The Russian military command dismissed Akhmedov from his position as deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy in early January 2026. The reason was the defeat of his group near Dobropillia in late December 2025.

At that time, the occupiers organized a massive mechanized assault, which ended in catastrophic losses of equipment and personnel.

The loss of control over the situation and the incompetent planning of the operation provoked a wave of criticism even among Russian propagandists, who directly blamed Akhmedov for the death of elite units.

Sukhrab Akhmedov had a solid reputation as a ‘butcher’ due to his penchant for suicidal frontal attacks. In May 2024, he had already lost his position as commander of the 20th Army after failures near Vuhledar and Kreminna.

The 55th Marine Division also arrived in the region, but it is not yet participating in active combat. These movements are confirmed by open sources, including publications by the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, geolocations, and posts by Russian volunteers on social media.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that the Defense Forces were conducting effective counterattacks and assaults in the Oleksandrivsk sector and in the Huliaipole area.

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi indicated that the units of the Airborne Assault Forces were involved in active operations in this area.