Russian forces captured Huliaipole in northeastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast during an offensive that concluded with control of most of the city by mid-January 2026. As of mid-October 2026, Russian units treat the town as a logistics and staging hub, converting industrial sites and buildings into troop assembly points and drone shelters to support further advances toward Zaporizhzhia and flanking maneuvers around Orikhiv. Ukrainian 7th Air Assault Corps units prioritize strikes on supply routes such as the Marfopil corridor, using drones and artillery to disrupt reinforcements, though Russian forces continue small-group assaults and maintain numerical pressure in the sector. Ukrainian operations have reclaimed some nearby villages but show no confirmed advances into Huliaipole itself, with frontline reporting indicating sustained Russian defensive consolidation rather than Ukrainian counteroffensives capable of rapid re-entry.