Ukraine touts recapture of eight settlements in rare battlefield success

KYIV - Ukraine has regained control of 400 sq km of territory, including eight settlements, along a section of the southern front line since the end of January, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Feb 23.

The rare battlefield gains in the south-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region stand in contrast to the broader trend of slow and costly Russian advances across the front lines over the past 2½ years, as the war nears its fourth anniversary.

Ukraine is keen to show the world – and particularly to US President Donald Trump – that it is not losing ground in its fight against Russia’s invasion, at a time when Washington is pressing Ukraine to agree to a peace deal.

General Syrskyi’s statement did not make clear how much of the newly secured territory had previously been under Russian control, and how much lay in “grey zone” areas not firmly held by either side.

Ukraine’s General Staff did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.

The front lines in Ukraine have become increasingly blurred as thousands of drones fill the skies each day, pushing soldiers underground or into hard cover and creating zones where neither army exercises full control.

Mr Trump has previously said that Ukraine should make concessions as it is in danger of losing the war, which started when Russia launched a full-scale invasion on Feb 24, 2022.

Kyiv and its European allies have pushed back against this narrative, pointing out that Russia has captured little over 1 per cent of Ukraine’s territory since 2023 at huge cost, and that Moscow’s vital oil infrastructure is facing escalating threats from Ukrainian drone strikes.

On Feb 23, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz praised Ukraine’s “astonishing” gains in February, saying they demonstrated that Kyiv’s resistance was more effective than often portrayed. REUTERS