Ukraine’s counteroffensive brings gains in the south but weakens other sectors of the front. Meduza analyzes the latest battlefield developments.
Like our earlier reports on the combat situation in Ukraine, this article reviews recent battlefield developments based on open-source information. Meduza has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from the outset, and our military analyses reflect our commitment to objective reporting on a war we firmly oppose.
Our map is based exclusively on open-source photos and videos, most of them posted by eyewitnesses on social media. We collect available evidence and determine its geolocation markers, adding only the photos and videos that clear this process. Meduza doesn’t try to track the conflict in real time; the data reflected on the map are typically at least 48 hours old.
Key updates as of March 19, 2026
The end of winter and the start of spring have brought some encouraging news for Ukraine. After retaking part of Kupyansk, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are successfully continuing their tactical counteroffensive at the junction of the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Ukrainian forces have pushed dozens of kilometers into the flank and rear of Russian positions, forcing Moscow to send in reserves. Still, Russia’s offensive toward Orikhiv — Ukraine’s main fortified stronghold in the Zaporizhzhia region — has yet to be fully stopped.
At the same time, to carry out these counterattacks, the Ukrainian command redeployed units that had previously been defending the northern outskirts of Pokrovsk. That, in turn, has allowed Russian forces to launch a new offensive toward the city of Dobropillia.
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Dnipropetrovsk region and Huliaipole
By early February, three combined-arms armies of Russia’s “Vostok” contingent had pushed deep into Ukrainian defensive positions at the junction of the eastern parts of the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
One of them, the 5th Combined Arms Army, crossed the Haichur River, captured Huliaipole, and continued advancing toward Orikhiv. The 36th Combined Arms Army crossed the Haichur north of Huliaipole, with forward units reaching the village of Ternuvate.
The weakest formation, the 29th Combined Arms Army, was tasked with holding the northern flank, which expanded as Russian forces advanced eastward. Its defenses were largely anchored along the southern bank of the Vovcha River. Even so, Ukrainian forces managed to retain several bridgeheads on that bank. Russian defenses did not form a continuous fortified line, relying instead on isolated positions.
In response, the Ukrainian command concentrated forces — including airborne brigades and assault regiments — and launched a counterstrike at the junction between Russia’s 29th and 36th armies. At the same time, Ukrainian troops struck from a bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Haichur near the village of Dobropillia (not to be confused with the city of Dobropillia in the Donetsk region), advancing eastward toward the adjoining strongholds of the 5th and 36th Combined Arms Armies. The aim was for these two Ukrainian groupings to link up near Uspenivka and encircle the main forces of the 36th Army — or at least force them to withdraw.
Ukrainian forces managed to push 10–15 kilometers (6–9 miles) into Russian defenses. According to open-source videos published late last week, Ukrainian troops reached Novohryhorivka and were also seen on the outskirts of nearby Novoivanivka. The latter lies on the Velyka Novosilka–Huliaipole road, a key supply route for Russia’s 5th and 36th armies.
The Telegram channel “Voin DV,” an unofficial mouthpiece for the “Vostok” contingent, claims the footage from Novohryhorivka was filmed two weeks ago and that the Ukrainian troops involved were later “destroyed.” However, based on the full set of geolocated videos, Ukrainian forces appear to have established a foothold in the rear of Russian positions with fairly substantial forces. So far, though, they have not managed to reach Uspenivka from two directions and encircle Russian troops.
The Russian command has responded to the emerging operational strain by redeploying reserves to the “Vostok” contingent. Units from the Sakhalin-based 68th Army Corps have returned to the grouping, along with the 40th Naval Infantry Brigade. In addition, according to reports from “volunteers,” at least part of the 55th Naval Infantry Division has also been redeployed from near Pokrovsk to positions south of Huliaipole.
Even so, Russian command does not appear to be abandoning its offensive toward Orikhiv. The 5th Army — possibly with reinforcements — has advanced several more kilometers toward the villages of Huliaipilske, Hirke, and Rizdvyanka, where Russian assault groups have run into Ukrainian counterattacks.
Kramatorsk and Sloviansk
After capturing Pokrovsk, Russian forces received reinforcements and pushed forward with an offensive toward the city of Dobropillia. The advance picked up pace after some Ukrainian units that had been defending areas north of Pokrovsk were redeployed to the Dnipropetrovsk region.
By mid-March, Russian troops had outflanked the village of Hryshyne — the main Ukrainian fortified position in the area — from the east and occupied its eastern part.
Another Russian grouping is advancing from Rodynske toward Bilytske, and through Novyi Donbas toward the southeastern outskirts of Dobropillia. Ukrainian counterattacks have prevented Russian forces from fully capturing Novyi Donbas and Bilytske. Even so, the situation for Ukrainian forces north of Pokrovsk continues to gradually worsen.
A separate Russian grouping northeast of Pokrovsk is advancing in the opposite direction, along the Kazennyi Torets River toward Druzhkivka. Its aim is to cut off Ukrainian forces defending Kostiantynivka from the wider Kramatorsk agglomeration. By mid-March, Russian troops advancing through the Kazennyi Torets valley had reached the village of Novopavlivka, about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) from Druzhkivka.
Despite claims by Russia’s General Staff that its forces have already captured 60 percent of Kostiantynivka, in reality Russian troops are still engaged in urban fighting with a sizable Ukrainian garrison on the city’s outskirts. Earlier, Russian units managed to enter residential areas from the southeast. By mid-March, two other groupings had reached the southwestern and eastern edges of the city. The apparent goal is to force the Ukrainian garrison to withdraw under the threat of encirclement — but so far, Ukrainian forces have managed to hold their positions.
The situation is more difficult for Ukrainian forces north of Kostiantynivka, where Russian troops are advancing toward Sloviansk from the directions of Bakhmut, Soledar, and Siversk. West of Siversk — along the southern bank of the Siverskyi Donets River — the Russian offensive has stalled on the approaches to the village of Kryva Luka. Farther south, however, Russian forces continue to advance quickly. Their push is moving both toward Sloviansk — along the road from Bakhmut — and into the rear of Ukrainian units positioned near Kryva Luka. Russian assault units have already been spotted on the outskirts of the village of Kalenyky, just 3–4 kilometers (2–2.5 miles) away.
All of this could open the way for a Russian push toward Sloviansk. Ukrainian command will likely need to reinforce this sector in the near future, redeploying units from other parts of the front.
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Meduza’s Razbor (“Explainers”) team