Kyiv, Ukraine. Ukraine has regained control of 400 square kilometres of territory, including eight settlements, along a section of the southern frontline since the end of January, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Monday.
Claimed gains in Dnipropetrovsk region
The reported battlefield gains in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region contrast with what Ukraine describes as a broader pattern of slow and costly Russian advances over the past two and a half years, as the war approaches its fourth anniversary.
Syrskyi’s statement did not specify how much of the newly secured territory had previously been under Russian control and how much was in “grey zone” areas not firmly held by either side.
Ukraine’s General Staff did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.
Front lines blurred by drone warfare
Front lines in Ukraine have become increasingly blurred as thousands of drones operate each day, pushing soldiers underground or into hard cover and creating zones where neither army exercises full control.
International pressure and competing narratives
Ukraine has sought to demonstrate to international partners, including U.S. President Donald Trump, that it is not losing ground, as Washington presses Ukraine to agree to a peace deal.
Trump has said Ukraine should make concessions, arguing it is in danger of losing the war, which began when Russia launched a full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.
Kyiv and its European allies have rejected that view, saying Russia has captured a little over 1% of Ukraine’s territory since 2023 at high cost and that Moscow’s oil infrastructure faces escalating threats from Ukrainian drone strikes.
On Monday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz praised Ukraine’s “astonishing” gains in February, saying they showed Kyiv’s resistance was more effective than often portrayed.
How do you assess the significance of Ukraine’s reported territorial gains along the southern frontline?
