Ukraine Turns Russian Stronghold Into a Trap, Retakes Rybine Near Huliaipole

Ukrainian forces have retaken the village of Rybine near Huliaipole after a months-long operation that first severed Russian supply routes before troops moved in to clear the settlement, Ukraine’s 1st Separate Assault Regiment reported on September 7.

Russian forces captured Rybine on January 20 and subsequently turned the village into an important defensive position in the Huliaipole sector.

By summer, however, Ukrainian troops had begun systematically dismantling the Russian position rather than launching an immediate frontal assault.

The first stage focused on logistics. Troops from the regiment’s 2nd Assault Battalion cut a key supply route used by Russian forces to bring ammunition, food and fuel into Rybine.

Once that artery was disrupted, the Russian units inside the village became increasingly isolated. Reinforcing the position and maintaining regular supplies became considerably more difficult, while Ukraine also restricted Russian attempts to move additional troops into the cut-off settlement.

Ukrainian forces then moved to the final stage of the operation, clearing Russian troops from Rybine itself.

On July 30, Ukrainian soldiers raised the national flag over the village, marking its return to Ukrainian control.

The 1st Assault Regiment stressed that Rybine was not retaken in a single assault. Instead, the operation relied on gradually weakening the Russian position by disrupting its logistics, limiting reinforcement routes, and only then moving to clear the settlement.

Previously, reports emerged that Russian forces would need more than six additional years to capture the remaining Ukrainian-controlled territory in the Donetsk region if their current rate of advance continues, putting the potential timeline well beyond Moscow’s stated goal of taking the entire region by the end of 2026.

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