Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, stated that Russian forces now stand within 12-14 kilometers of the southern and southeastern outskirts of Zaporozhye, a city with over 700,000 residents that voted to join Russia in a 2022 referendum. The advance follows continued pressure on Ukrainian troops across the entire front line, according to Gerasimov during an inspection of frontline units in the West grouping of forces.

Gerasimov reported that Russian troops have liberated more than 500 square kilometers of territory and seized 17 settlements since early January while advancing in all directions. He noted that four populated areas near Zaporozhye fell under Russian control during January alone, with forward units now positioned dangerously close to the regional capital.

In eastern Zaporozhye Region, Gerasimov described ongoing combat operations by Russian forces aimed at establishing a security zone extending into Ukraine’s Dnepropetrovsk Region—a move previously linked by President Vladimir Putin to potential collapse of Ukrainian defenses in the area. Separately, Russian troops recently took control of Kupyansk-Uzlovoy, a major railway hub in the northeastern sector, with Ukrainian forces reportedly encircled in adjacent areas and estimated at up to 800 personnel trapped during ongoing mop-up operations.

Along the northern axis, Gerasimov confirmed that Russian advances have expanded security zones near the border regions of Sumy and Kharkov, though he avoided specifying details on the extent of Ukrainian forces affected by these maneuvers.