Russian military command has transferred troops from the Pokrovsky direction to the south: ISW
The Russian military command has transferred airborne troops and marines to the southern sector of the front following the successes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This was reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
According to analysts, some of the units were withdrawn from the Pokrovsky direction and the Dobropillya district in eastern Ukraine. They were probably redeployed to the southern front line due to the intensification of Ukrainian actions in the Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
ISW notes that such movements of Russian elite units have already been used before in response to Ukrainian counterattacks, in particular in the Kursk direction in August 2024 and in the Dobropillya area in September 2025.
The redeployment of the Pacific Fleet Marines to the south, according to ISW, is associated with the ongoing counterattacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which began in late January and early February 2026.
Analysts recall the role of the 76th Airborne Division, elements of which were previously used to respond to critical situation at the front. “The redeployment of elements of the 76th Airborne Division to southern Ukraine was probably not a reaction to Ukrainian counterattacks in the Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, since the counterattacks occurred later, although these Airborne elements are currently also participating in the response to Ukrainian counterattacks that began in late January and early February 2026,” ISW summarizes.
Advisor to the Minister of Defense Sergey Beskrestnov reported that the Russian occupation forces began to massively use cheap reconnaissance drones based on the Blyskavka UAV as an alternative to expensive strike drones.
The Russian army also received an order to approach Orekhov in the Zaporizhia region and gain a foothold in on the outskirts of the city.
