Ukraine reports gains in Zaporizhzhia as Russia’s advance slows

Since the end of January, the Ukrainian army has recaptured nine villages in the Zaporizhzhia region and is continuing its counter-offensive on the south-eastern front. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyj reported that, for the first time since the summer of 2024, Ukrainian forces had gained more territory in a single month than Russian troops had managed to seize.

According to the DeepState project, Russia occupied 126 square kilometres in February – the lowest monthly figure in the past 20 months.

Ukrainian sources said the situation had also been improved by outages at Starlink terminals on the Russian side, which disrupted communications and battlefield oversight. Fighting continues near Oleksandrivka, Huljajpole, Kupjansk and Pokrovsk.

Syrskyj emphasised that Ukraine had weathered a difficult winter despite intense Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. However, the conflict is entering its fifth year, and efforts to find a diplomatic solution are continuing in parallel, with new US-mediated talks expected this week.

(reuters, mja)