Russia says its forces advance in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region

Servicemen of the 65th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces explore a Javelin missile system near a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine November 15, 2025. "It is difficult to overestimate the importance of this village for the defense of Orikhiv," said Yuri Podolyaka, one of Russia's top war bloggers, adding that Mala Tokmachka was essentially "the gateway to Orikhiv". Russia says it controls about 75% of the Zaporizhzhia region which means Ukraine still holds about 7,000 square km there, including the city of Zaporizhzhia, which had a pre-war population of over 700,000 people.