Ukrainian forces have repelled a wave of Russian assaults in the country’s south this week, holding their positions in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions despite sustained attacks involving drones, aerial bombs and ground troops, according to Ukraine’s military.
Operational Command South said on Friday, October 11, that Ukrainian defenders had beaten back 29 Russian assaults since the start of the week.
In a statement, the command said five attacks were recorded over the past day in the Kherson direction and a further two in the Zaporizhzhia sector, with no territorial gains achieved by Russian forces.
“The defense forces of southern Ukraine in the Kherson Oblast repelled 29 assaults,” the command said, adding that Russian troops had continued to apply pressure across multiple axes but failed to break through Ukrainian lines.
The statement detailed the scale of Russian firepower used in the latest attacks. According to Operational Command South, Russian forces deployed 318 first-person view (FPV) drones, including three Lancet loitering munitions, and dropped 428 general-purpose aerial bombs during the reporting period.
Despite the intensity of the bombardment and repeated ground assaults, Ukrainian positions remained intact.
The update comes amid earlier warnings from Ukrainian military officials that Russia may be preparing a renewed push in southern Zaporizhzhia Oblast, particularly in the direction of the towns of Orikhiv and Mala Tokmachka. Ukrainian forces have cautioned that Moscow appears to be probing defenses in the area in search of a breakthrough.
The pressure in the south coincides with continued Russian advances in eastern Ukraine, where fighting has intensified in recent weeks.
On October 2, Kyiv confirmed the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the eastern town of Vuhledar in Donetsk Oblast, following heavy fighting. Russian troops had first maneuvered around the town’s flanks before entering the urban area, forcing Ukrainian units to pull back.
In comments published on October 8 by Ukrainian media outlet Glavkom, Oleksandr Okhrimenko, commander of Ukraine’s 72nd Mechanized Brigade, said Russian forces committed to capturing Vuhledar outnumbered Ukrainian defenders by roughly nine to one.
He described the battle as extremely difficult, highlighting the scale of Russian manpower and firepower brought to bear on the town.
As Russia seeks to press its advantage in the east, Ukrainian commanders say Moscow is simultaneously testing defenses in the south, attempting to stretch Ukrainian forces across multiple fronts.
For now, Kyiv says its troops in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia have managed to contain the attacks, even as the wider war continues to grind on with no sign of a near-term resolution.
