Russian forces captured Huliaipole in Zaporizhzhia Oblast during their January 2026 offensive and retain firm control as a forward staging area for further pushes toward Orikhiv and Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian units from the 7th Air Assault Corps have responded with targeted strikes on Russian logistics, including FPV drone attacks that destroyed ammunition depots inside the town and bridges near Polohy in September 2026, while repelling limited Russian probes. DeepState mapping shows the immediate front stabilized around the settlement, with no Ukrainian ground operations underway to contest the urban area itself. Any re-entry would require a major shift in force allocation or Russian withdrawal, neither of which appears imminent amid ongoing attrition along the southern front.