Russian forces captured a Ukrainian battalion command post in central Huliaipole on 25 December, seizing laptops, an unlocked smartphone, and official seals after Ukrainian troops fled under fire, according to Ukrainian military sources.
The loss exposes a troubling pattern on Ukraine's southern front: exhausted Territorial Defense units trapped by delayed orders while Russia's infiltration tactics outpace command decisions. "Higher command did not give approval for battalion command posts to leave Huliaipole in time, and accordingly, the command post came under contact with the enemy, and the personnel who were at the HQ retreated and left everything as it was," an officer defending the sector told Hromadske.
What Russia captured at Huliaipole command post
Russian propaganda channels circulated video footage showing the abandoned command post. More than ten Ukrainian soldiers were present when the Russians approached, triggering a close-quarters firefight before the Ukrainians retreated, the officer said.
The captured assets included:
- Multiple laptops left open and running
- An unlocked smartphone
- Official battalion seals
This equipment at a command post would typically have access to tactical software.
Russians initially claimed they had captured the headquarters of the 102nd TDF Brigade. Ukrainian sources clarified the post belonged to the 1st Battalion of the 106th TDF Brigade, formerly the 75th Battalion of the 102nd Brigade before a reorganization common in Ukraine's attrition-heavy force structure.
How the Huliaipole retreat exposed Ukrainian flanks
The retreat carried immediate tactical consequences. The 1st Battalion's withdrawal exposed the flank of the 2nd Battalion of the 102nd TDF Brigade, allowing Russian forces to advance from the village of Marfopil and Huliaipole's northeastern outskirts, the officer said.
The incident follows reports that soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the 106th Brigade spent over a month encircled in Huliaipole. After finally breaking out on approximately 20 December, they were transferred to the 225th Assault Regiment and ordered to return to the city, according to Hromadske.
Ukrainian volunteer and activist Serhiy Sternenko described the capture as "another loud symptom of a systemic crisis in the military."
Ukraine launches investigation into Huliaipole command post loss
Southern Defense Forces spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn announced a comprehensive investigation. "It must establish the causes and preconditions for such an event, as well as whether it occurred at all. Only after that will information be published," he told Hromadske.
Law enforcement agencies will open criminal proceedings, Voloshyn added. "Based on the results of the investigation, an assessment will be given of the actions of every official involved in these events. No one and nothing will be concealed."
Why Huliaipole matters for Ukraine's southern front
Huliaipole sits at the intersection of critical supply routes connecting Pokrovske in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the Zaporizhzhia front. The city's fall would threaten the logistics sustaining Ukraine's entire southern defensive line.
