Ukrainian units are covertly abandoning positions in Zaporozhye region, Russian military expert claims

A Russian military commentator has claimed that Ukrainian fighters are covertly abandoning their positions in the Zaporozhye region, according to a report from the Russian state news agency TASS.

Andrey Marochko, cited in the report, attributed the alleged withdrawals primarily to the intense fire Russian forces are directing at Ukrainian units stationed in the region. The report did not specify particular locations, unit numbers, or a timeframe for when these withdrawals are said to have occurred.

Claims about troop withdrawals, morale and battlefield conditions are frequently made by both sides in the war and are difficult to verify independently, particularly claims relayed through state media outlets with a direct interest in the conflict's narrative. Ukrainian military officials have not commented on Marochko's specific claim, and it has not been corroborated by independent sources.

The Zaporozhye region has been one of several active front-line areas in the war between Russia and Ukraine, with both sides periodically reporting shifts in territorial control and unit positioning as fighting continues.

TASS is a Russian state-owned news agency, and reports it carries relating to Ukrainian military conduct should be read in the context of the broader information contest between Moscow and Kyiv over the war's narrative.