In the Zaporozhye direction, actions by the Armed Forces of Ukraine were reported on the evening of September 26, as attempts to mount an offensive were repelled by the Russian military. This summary comes from RIA News, citing a fighter from the volunteer unit Bars, which is associated with the Royal Wolves brigade.
The Russian service member described Ukrainian units launching mortars and attempting to ignite mined areas with lighters in order to gauge the terrain and plan further attacks. He noted that Russian forces halted the assault with fire from a Kornet anti-tank system and with an incursion supported by Grad rocket systems.
Earlier, Vladimir Rogov, head of the Zaporozhye regional movement We are with Russia, reported that Ukrainian forces intensified bombardments in the Rabotino-Verbovoye area and alleged that Ukrainian units had renewed offensive activity in the region.
In related assessments, former US intelligence officer Scott Ritter stated that Russian forces near Rabotino had neutralized the last reserves of Ukrainian troops in the area.
Additionally, former Pentagon adviser Colonel Douglas McGregor suggested that heavy losses had forced Ukrainian formations to rethink ground operations. He argued that Ukraine shifted toward longer-range, NATO-supplied missiles and adapted its strategy with intelligence support from Western partners.
A previously serving defender of Ukraine had expressed confusion about the broader causes of the conflict, noting uncertainties regarding the strategic aims of the fighting and its trajectories.