Kathrine Frich
A small settlement in southern Ukraine has become one of the most fiercely contested locations on the front line.
According to a frontline report by The Times, the fight for Stepnohirsk could influence whether Russian forces advance toward the strategic city of Zaporizhzhia.
Once home to around 5,000 people, the village is now empty of civilians and reduced to rubble.
Last line before Zaporizhzhia
Stepnohirsk lies about 22 kilometers from Zaporizhzhia, an industrial center that remains under Ukrainian control.
The village stands before the Kinska River, a natural barrier that limits crossing points.
Ukrainian officers say that if Russian troops cross it, they could move artillery closer and intensify bombardment of the city.
“The loss of Stepnohirsk would allow the enemy to overcome the natural barrier, advance artillery and unmanned vehicles, and bombard Zaporozhye non-stop,” said “Mongol,” a senior officer commanding the Ferrata group of Ukraine’s military intelligence service, speaking to The Times.
About 20,000 Russian soldiers initially entered the area, the newspaper reports.
Fight inside ruins
The battle is concentrated in nine damaged apartment buildings at the center of the village.
Drones scan the area and transmit thermal images to Ukrainian command posts.
Supplies are delivered by unmanned aircraft, with soldiers running from cover to collect ammunition and water.
Elite Russian units including paratroopers and Spetsnaz forces have been deployed, according to The Times.
Ukrainian special forces and regular infantry units are defending the position despite being outnumbered.
“Life expectancy 12 minutes”
One Ukrainian officer identified as “Nine” described the intensity of the fighting.
“I estimate that the life expectancy of a Russian deployed here is about 12 minutes, no more,” he said.
“And the cost of his life, in terms of missiles and FPVs spent to kill him, is about $5,000-6,000.”
Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, said 31,700 Russian soldiers were killed last month across the front line. The figure cannot be independently verified.
President Vladimir Putin declared the annexation of the Zaporizhzhia region in 2022, but Russian forces continue to fight to consolidate control.
Sources: The Times, Digi24.
