A symbol of the defeat of the Russian army. Even war bloggers laugh at her. “Wickedness”
Mala Tokmachka is a small village in the Zaporizhia Oblast in Ukraine, whose population – according to data from 2024 – was less than 100 people. By 2025 it was completely destroyed. The Russian army has been trying to capture it for over a year, but has so far failed to do so.
Back in October 2025, the pro-Kleml channel Military Informator wrote on Telegram – “this unfortunate village near Orichiv” they have been trying to recapture for many years now, but “ultimately they failed to displace the Armed Forces of Ukraine from this village.” The creators of the channel called Brothers in Arms said the same – on the same application they wrote that “the guys from Zaporozhye” gave them information about what was happening near the village. And they “read them and were astonished.”
On November 17, 2025, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov congratulated the soldiers of the 42nd Guards Motorized Division on the liberation of Little Tokmachka, stating that a serious step had been taken towards victory and achieving the goals of the special military operation.
In the spring of 2026, not only those who closely follow events on the front began to talk about Little Tokmachka. In mid-April, a montage with statements by “expert” Boris Rozhin, a pro-war Crimean blogger, appeared on social media. The recording shows how he commented on the fighting near the village for a year in the programs “Time will show” and “The Great Game” on Channel One (the main state television station in Russia).
The film caused an ironic reaction – many social media users started creating various memes mocking the failed attempts to take over this tiny village.
There is even an ironic channel on Telegram called “Has Little Tokmachka been conquered?”. He promises to publish “a daily summary of combat operations around the town of Mala Tokmachka in the Zaporizhia Oblast.”
Failed attempts
“Is a turning point approaching?” – this is how the Rybak channel on Telegram began its post about the fighting near Mala Tokmachka. “The enemy is even trying to regain some of the lost positions in the Malay Tokmachka area in order not to allow the armed forces of the Russian Federation to expand the zone of control around this town,” he added. He, as well as other authors of pro-war channels, actively reports events around the village in his summaries or reposts entries of other bloggers supporting the war, in which there is mention of this town.
A channel called Reporter Filatov admitted that this video montage makes him feel “very funny and sad” at the same time. Alex Parker Returns went even further – he wrote on Telegram that “organizing a parade on May 9 at a time when even Little Tokmachka has not been conquered for over four years, and refineries are burning around, is a symbol of wickedness and spitting on the graves of grandparents who fought.”
Memes devoted to this topic also gained popularity in Ukraine. Local media note that Russian propaganda is once again trying to “improve the mood” of viewers by talking about events that did not actually happen. In her narrative, Little Tokmachka is regularly occupied, reclaimed, or Russian soldiers advance there – but all this only in news and reports. It has nothing to do with reality.
“Well, what did you expect? Little Tokmachka is the largest agglomeration in Europe. (…) In general, a key point in Putin's plan. The entire military operation was initiated precisely to take control of this gigantic city!” — Ukrainian Mikhail Golinski commented ironically on social media.
Defense line
— The fighting for Little Tokmachka began around May 2025, says Alexander Kovalenko, a military-political observer from the Information Opposition group. — Russian troops occupied Novopokrovka and began to advance towards the outskirts of Mala Tokmachka. However, only minor tactical moves were made in this direction during the year. Little Tokmachka is of great logistical importance. The village is located on Route 0815 leading to Orichiwa. You can get to this city from the side of the concentration of Russian troops only through Mala Tokmachka, he notes.
— Before the war, over three thousand people lived in Mala Tokmachka, says Roman Switan, a military expert and colonel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the reserve. — This place stretches along the road. Fighting in this direction has been going on since 2024. Little Tokmachka protects Orichiv from the southeast. The distance between these towns does not exceed 5 km. The Russians established a large logistics center in the village of Połohy and from there launched an offensive on Hulaypole and Orichiv. The road to Orichiv runs through Mala Tokmachka, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces have created a very solid defense perimeter. On the one hand, the Ukrainian fortified area is based on the Konka River, and on the other – on the dominant heights, also occupied by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, he says.
However, the Russians are unable to take Mala Tokmachka. They enter the village and declare success, but are soon driven out.
According to Swithan's data, fighting in Mala Tokmachka is ongoing. The Russians are trying to penetrate the defense line of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in small groups. They once tried to enter with a column of heavy equipment, but Ukrainian drones destroyed it completely.
The Russian armed forces bombarded the village with KAB missiles and practically razed it to the ground, turning it into hell on earth.
— In January 2026, in Mala Tokmachka, the Russians managed to take over control zones on the eastern outskirts, Kovalenko adds. — For a year, the armed forces of the Russian Federation made numerous attempts to break through to the railway station in this village. The Russian army advanced along Mir Street but failed to capture significant territory. Russia's armed forces have so far failed to strengthen there. Today the village is practically destroyed. Almost all of its remaining ruins are under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In recent months, two or three assault groups have been destroyed every day in the village, but the operational situation has not changed, he says.
Years of assaults
It is on the front line many towns for which fighting has been going on for many years.
Both countries have been fighting for Volchansk in the Kharkiv Oblast since May 2024. Since then, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have been unable to capture the city. The village of Lipce is located in the same region. The Russians have been storming it since May 10, 2024. The village of Myrne is located near Mala Tokmachka, near the town of Hulaypole. The Russians are trying to get there to road 0814. Fighting for this town has been going on since 2023. There were also long-lasting clashes near the village of Robotyne in the Orichiv region and in the vicinity of Stepnogorsk. Fights for Małe Szczerbaki and Łukjanowskie have been going on for over a year. Both villages were completely destroyed long ago.
Russian troops were also stuck for a long time in the town of Rodinskoye on the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad axis. Not far from there, the villages of Kotlyne and Udaczne resisted the Russians for over a year and a half. The defense of the village of Stupoczki near Czasiw Jar continued for the same period of time.
In the Kupiańska region, the Russian 1st Tank Army was unable to capture Kolesniki on the left bank of the Oskol River. It is located on the map many small towns that have been stopping the advance of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for months or years.
— On the front line, the length of which now exceeds 1,200 km, there are many towns for which fighting has been going on for many years, notes Switan. — In addition to Czasa Yar, these include Volchansk, Kupiansk and the Pokrovsko-Myrnohrad agglomeration. In addition, on the left bank of the Oskol River there are dozens of villages that have become defense forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
— Such a long-lasting confrontation in a relatively small town may be due to its terrain, explains Kowalenko. — The Ukrainian Armed Forces effectively use both geographical advantages and the defense lines created. The southern front in the Zaporizhia Oblast is characterized by similar, well-fortified Ukrainian positions.
